Quick and Easy Vegan Red Lentil Dal

As someone who follows a plant-based diet, I’m often looking for fun sources of protein that aren’t the standard tofu, tempeh, or chickpeas. Lentils have gained some hype over the last couple of years, as they are a member of the legume family and a great source of plant-based protein. Lentils come in many varieties, the most common being brown, green, red, and black. I happened to have red lentils on hand when I whipped up this recipe the other night, but any variety should work.

If you want to learn more about lentils check out this post. If you’ve already begun your journey into cooking with lentils but are confused about how to add them to your diet, check out these creative ways to eat more lentils!

Red Lentil Dal

Difficulty:BeginnerPrep time: 5 minutesCook time: 20 minutesTotal time: 25 minutesServings:4 servings

Ingredients

• 1 cup lentils
• 3 cups water
• 1/4 onion
• 1 large tomato
• 3 stalks kale
• 1 tbsp coconut milk
• 1 tsp tumeric
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp black pepper
• 2 tsp salt
• 2 tsp paprika
• 2 tsp chili powder

Instructions

1. 
   

   Place 3 cups of water into a pot and heat on high. Add lentils when the water begins to boil and reduce heat to low.

2. 
   

   While lentils are cooking, slice all of your vegetables into bite-sized pieces. Add the veggies to the pot of lentils around 5-10 minutes after the lentils began cooking. Cook everything for a total of 25 minutes.

3. 
   

   Season with spices and add the coconut milk, increase the amount based on how creamy you want this to taste.

4. 
   

   Serve over rice or roasted potatoes, top with nutritional yeast, and enjoy!

• Dinner
• Nutrition
• Vegetarian