Saturday 30 May 2015

Simmering into Summer

With the warm weather upon us, it really feels like summer these days. And although we're enjoying seasonal local food (love, love, love) every now and then I get a hankering for a slow cooker comfort food meal, like a simple dal.

I reached for my "Fresh from the Vegan Slow Cooker" for one such recipe. I looked for the recipe on the internet to include in this post, but instead found many more mouth watering dals which I will definitely make down the road. The recipe for this one is included below.

It was quick and easy to out together. Paired with some brown rice and seasonal vegetables, it was a perfect weekend dinner.


Easiest way to grate ginger? Little food chopper- works every time.


Assortment of spices- turmeric, cardamon, cayenne, cumin, coriander... yum.


Rather than sautéing in oil, just add the onion to the water and either microwave covered for a minute, or sauté on the stovetop until onion is soft.


Red and brown lentils. I used brown rice, but other rices would be nice too.


I used vegetable broth instead of water to give more flavour.


Recipe for Two-Lentil Dal from Fresh from the Vegan Slow Cooker by Robin Robertson

2 tsp olive oil (opt)
1 large yellow onion, minced
1 1/2 tsp grated fresh ginger
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground coriander
1/2 tsp ground turmeric
1/2 tsp dry mustard
1/4 cayenne pepper
1 cup dried red lentils, rinsed and picked over
1 cup dried brown lentils, rinsed and picked over
4 cups water
salt and freshly ground black pepper
Freshly cooked basmati rice, for serving
3 tbs. minced fresh cilantro or flat leaf parsley for garnish.

Heat oil in medium skillet, over medium high heat and sauté onion for about 5 minutes until softened. Add all spices except salt and pepper and stir for about 30 seconds. Alternatively omit the oil, and sauté these ingredients in a few tablespoons of water or combine them in a microwave safe bowl wit a little water, cover and microwave for 1 minute.

Transfer the onion and spice mixture to the slow cooker and add the red and brown lentils, water, and salt and pepper to taste. Cover and cook on low for 8 hours (or less). Taste and adjust the seasonings if needed. Serve over rice, with a sprinkling of cilantro.

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