Hello lovely!
I am finally posting this Red Lentil Cauliflower Dahl (dal?) recipe! I have been hesitant to post it because I don’t really measure ingredients when I make it but I do follow a recipe of sorts. Once you start cooking this dish you will realize how easy it is to sub in different ingredients and make it your own!
Growing up my family made dahl all the time and I didn’t like it. Fast forward many years later and it’s a comfort food to my son and I. It’s now ‘grandma’s food’ and he loves it. This kid is amazing AND he loves healthy food. I hope all these healthy habits stay with him forever!
This recipe contains my fav vegetable of the moment, cauliflower. I am obsessed. If you don’t like cauliflower as much as I do you can replace it with other vegetables as well. I have used eggplant, zucchini and carrots in the past. You can check out some of the nutritional benefits of cauliflower here. My son is pretty obsessed with cauliflower too 🙂
Radiant Red Lentils
There are a few reasons to add in this legume into your diet. For one it contains soluble and insoluble fibre. Soluble fibre has a gel like consistency and is gentle on the digestive tract. It binds to bile which contains cholesterol and escorts it out of the body. Insoluble fibre helps to bulk up stool and is great food for bacteria.
Lentils are also associated with lower heart disease risk. containing folate, magnesium and iron they help promote health and beauty in the body. Folate is an important B vitamin, magnesium helps to calm the body increasing circulation and iron helps to fortify the blood!
Lentils are also an amazing source of plant based protein.
A Note on Soaking Legumes:
It is important to soak all legumes to make them easier to digest and cook! Soaking hydrates the legumes and also helps to release some phytates as well as oligosaccharides which cause gas. Phytates can bind to certain minerals like iron, zinc and calcium. This is why phytates are known as anti-nutrients.
Soaking and sprouting legumes helps to reduce the phytate content and helps us to absorb more minerals. Phytates have some beneficial properties so the goal here is to simply reduce the amount.
Ok, onto the recipe!
//Red Lentil Cauliflower Dahl//
Ingredients:
- 1 cup of red lentils soaked overnight or a few hours
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1 tsp coconut oil
- 1 tsp turmeric
- pinch of black pepper
- 1/3 head of cauliflower
- 4 cups of water and more if needed
- 2-3 cloves of garlic or more to taste
- sea salt to taste
Directions:
- Soak lentils overnight and rinse and drain well before using.
- Heat a large pot on medium and add in coconut oil.
- Once oil is heated add in cumin seeds until they begin to sizzle.
- Add lentils and briefly sauté then add in water.
- Add chopped cauliflower and garlic and bring to a boil
- reduce heat and let simmer for 15-20 minutes or until lentils are soft.
- Add in turmeric and black pepper.
- Using a potato masher or fork begin to mash the lentils to have a smoother texture.
- Enjoy with a large salad and some brown rice.
I hope you enjoy this recipe. If you try it please be sure to leave me a comment and let me know how it was!
~To nourishing comfort food,
Michelle
Holistic Nutritionist.
