Dahl of the Day

Indian Dahl

Eating a plant-based diet can present problems when going out for dinner.  Scan any restaurant menu and you will likely find that every entree will either contain meat, poultry, seafood or cheese. That is with one exception – the ethnic restaurant.  Asian, Indian, Caribbean, Mediterranean and just about any other ethnic type of establishment you can think of will have vegan options aplenty.  One of our favorite such places is The Mintt, an Indian restaurant on Banksville Road in the South Hills of Pittsburgh.  The herbs and spices in this type of cuisine are strong, but we have grown to really like them.  One of our favorite dishes there is called simply  "Dahl of the Day".  Dahl (also spelled Dal) is a dried pulse, or legume as we would refer to it, that has been split.  Pulses are high in protein as well as B vitamins.  The word "Dahl" is also used to refer to a thick stew or soup made with pulses.  The "Dahl of the Day" at The Mintt is an Indian soup made with red lentils and simmered with greens, tomatoes, and a variety of spices. Interestingly, according to Wikipedia, "[a]rchaeologists have discovered traces of pulse production around Ravi River (Punjab), the seat of the Indus Valley civilization, dating circa 3300 BC."  India is the largest producer of pulses.  So here is my take on The Mintt's dish using this ancient legume and swiss chard from Clarion River Organics.

Dahl of the Day

1 1/2 cups split red lentils, rinsed
3 1/2 cups vegetable broth or water (or a combination)
1 tbs olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped (about 1/2 cup)
1 tbs curry powder
1/2 teaspoon garam masala (see Note)
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper (less or leave out if you don't like spicy heat)
1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes, drained (see Note)
1 bunch Clarion River Organics swiss chard, center rib removed and leaves chopped (see Note)
salt and pepper to taste

Rinse the lentils in a colander or fine sieve.  Transfer the lentils to a medium-sized bowl of water to soak for 20 minutes.  Drain the soaked lentils and add to a soup pot with the broth or water.  Bring to a boil.  Once boiling, reduce heat so that the lentils are just simmering.  While the lentils cook, heat the oil in a fry pan over medium heat.  Add the onion to the fry pan and sauté until translucent (about 5 minutes).  Add curry powder, garam masala, ginger, and cayenne (if using) and cook 1 minute.  Add tomatoes to the onion/spice mixture and continue cooking about 5 more minutes.  Add the onion/tomato/spice mixture and the swiss chard to the lentils in the soup pot and continue to simmer until lentils are soft - about 15 more minutes.  Serve over brown basmati rice.  Serves 6 as a first course or 4 as an entree.  

Notes:
• Garam masala is a spice blend used in Indian cooking.  If you can't find it, use cumin and/or coriander.
• With just a bit of extra work you can use fresh Clarion River Organics tomatoes.  Use 2 fresh tomatoes that have had the skins and seeds removed.  See procedure to do that here: Tomato Time.  Chop the tomatoes after removing the skins and seeds.
• Instead of swiss chard, you can also use spinach, kale, or any other green you like.
• To complete the Indian theme, serve with naan bread available in the frozen foods of many grocery stores and at Indian grocers.  

Week 9 - Swiss Chard, Armenian Cucumber, Tomatoes, Green Pepper, Basil

Not sure you want to tackle the Roasted Cauliflower Hummus Pizza of my other week 9 post?  Then here is a very simple, very quick salad you can make that tastes refreshingly great and uses five of this week's items.   I actually had used up ALL of my CRO swiss chard on the Roasted Cauliflower Hummus Pizza  so I had to grab a red swiss chard leaf and a red kale leaf from my own little front porch garden which is why the salad "greens" in the photo look a little "red".  You can add 1/2 cup of black beans per person (or any cooked beans for that matter) to make this a one-dish meal.


Garden Fresh Chopped Salad

 2 Clarion River Organics Swiss Chard leaves, stripped from their stems and chopped
1-2 Clarion River Organics Basil leaves, snipped
1 Clarion River Organics Tomato, chopped
4 slices Clarion River Organics Green Pepper, chopped 
4-inch piece Clarion River Organics Armenian Cucumber, chopped
2 scallions, chopped
1 tbs balsamic vinegar (raspberry balsamic is very nice in this!)
1/2 tsp grape seed oil
1/2 tsp dijon mustard
1/4 tsp dried thyme, crumbled

Place all veggies in a bowl.  Add the balsamic vinegar, grape seed oil, mustard and thyme and toss well.  This will serve one person generously.  Just increase all the quantities accordingly for more people.

Week 9 - Cauliflower, Swiss Chard, Green Pepper, Tomato, Basil

Okay.  I'll admit it.  Only a whole foods plant based eater (i.e. vegan) would look at cauliflower, swiss chard, and tomatoes and say "PIZZA"!!  But that's exactly what happened this week when I looked through my green bag.  The "cheese" on this pizza is played by roasted cauliflower hummus and the other ingredients are the toppings.  Roasting the cauliflower will give the hummus a more "cheesy" flavor and a "ricotta" look.  To make this simpler and save a little time, I use store-bought tortillas as the crust, but really anything you want to use as crust will work just as well.  If you have the time, make your own.  A cornmeal crust is excellent.  Anything goes with this pizza as far as toppings, but greens and tomatoes are two of my favorites.  Enjoy this updated, healthy take on the traditional pie! 

Roasted Cauliflower Hummus Pizza 

1 head Clarion River Organics Cauliflower, cut into florets with stems included

1 bunch Clarion River Organics Swiss Chard, stems removed and leaves chopped (save stems for another use or discard)

2 Clarion River Organics Tomatoes, sliced and the slices cut into quarters

The Clarion River Organics Ingredients

1 Clarion River Organics Green Pepper, diced

2 Scallions, sliced

1/4 - 1/2 cup Kalamata Olives, sliced

6-8 Clarion River Organics Basil leaves, snipped or chopped

Cooking spray

1/2 tbsp Tahini

1/2 tbsp Olive Oil

Juice of half a Lemon

1 Garlic Clove

2 1/2 tbsp water

2 10-inch Tortillas or 4 6-inch Tortillas

Make the cauliflower hummus: Place the cauliflower on a cookie sheet, spray with cooking spray, and roast at 425 degrees for 25 minutes.  Place roasted cauliflower in a blender or food processor with the tahini, olive oil, lemon juice, garlic and water.  Blend/process until smooth.

Roasted Cauliflower Hummus

The Prepped Toppings

While the cauliflower is roasting, prepare the other vegetables and set aside.  

When the cauliflower is done, reduce the oven temperature to 375 degrees.  Place the tortillas on a cookie sheet and bake at 375 for 6-8 minutes until light brown and beginning to crisp.  Remove from oven.  

Spread the hummus on each tortilla and top with the vegetables: tomato slices first, followed by chard, green pepper, scallions, and olives.  Bake pizzas for 8 minutes.  Remove from oven to plates and sprinkle the snipped basil on top of each pizza.  Serve immediately.  Serves 2-4.