All daaled up

I have a bunch of friends who blog. I'm a huge consumer of content, but a limited publisher, so wanted that to change that! This blog will be very random for the time being so please join me on this journey as I figure out what I would like to share the most that will help others benefit as well:) For now I'm going to use this as a forum to share recipes and musings on life.
I will also preface this blog by telling you I don't post things unless I actually try them and they work for me. Thanks for reading!

Today I'm spending a rainy sunday deciding what to make for dinner....I've perused several recipe books. After giving up as a result of not having all the ingredients, or just shy of 1 or 2 items, I decided to make something simple with my indian spice cupboard. Really enjoyed it, so wanted to share. Very filling and high in protein. Enjoy!



Brown Lentil with Spinach / Tomato


Ingredients
1 1/2 cups brown lentils
4 cups water
1 Green Chili sliced into 1 inch pieces
1/4 tsp. turmeric
1/2 tsp. salt ( + salt for tasting at end)
2 Tbs. vegetable oil
1 tsp. cumin seeds
1 Medium Yellow Onion
1 clove garlic
1 tsp. grated peeled fresh gingeroot
1 small lime
1 tsp. garam masala, 1/2 tsp aamchoor
4 cups spinach
1-2 diced roma tomatoes
Salt, to taste

Method
Wash the lentils in several changes of cold water. In a medium pot, cover them with the water and add the turmeric, and salt. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat, and simmer, stirring often, until very tender. This will take about 30 to 40 minutes for brown lentils. (It may be necessary to add more water to prevent sticking, but only 1 cup at a time, because the final consistency should be fairly thick.)

Combine 1 onion, 1 green chile, and garlic/ginger in chopper, until its diced reasonably, but not pureed (few pulses)

When the lentils are almost cooked, heat the oil in a small pan, add the cumin seeds, and cook for 10 to 15 seconds. Stir in the onions and ginger/garlic mix and cook until the onions begin to brown, about 5 to 10 minutes. Stir in 1-2 diced roma tomatoes,
and 4 cups of fresh spinach, until wilted. Note: keep adding the spinach in small batches until the volume reduces, it is a bit easier.

When the lentils are tender,. Stir in the onion/garlic/chile/ginger mixture, lemon juice, garam masala, aamchoor, and salt, to taste. Serve with Rice and cucumber/carrot raita.