20 dal recipes

It's easy to make, and it tastes delicious. There are lots of great flavors in this mango dal. Serve it with Indian naan bread bread or rice, a tasty and nutritious week-night meal. You can make it ahead, and simply reheat it.

Urad dal ki roti folds spiced black gram lentils right into the dough, then pan-fries into hearty North Indian flatbread studded with green chilies, onion and tangy pomegranate seeds.

Punjabi dal palak with spinach, fenugreek leaves, and dill simmered in turmeric and cumin. Finished with a generous pour of ghee for authentic, earthy richness.

Yellow split pea dal finished with a popping mustard seed tadka, golden turmeric, and bright lemon juice. A simple vegan Indian side ready in under an hour.

Vegan eggplant dal with roasted eggplant folded into red lentils simmered with popped mustard seeds, cumin, coriander, and cinnamon. A smoky Indian lentil sauce.

Masur dal simmered with turmeric, ginger, and garlic, finished with a cumin and crispy onion tadka in ghee. A simple Indian lentil recipe that's warm, comforting, and ready in about 35 minutes.

Spinach moong dal: tender yellow split mung beans simmered with spinach, tamarind and turmeric, finished with a sizzling tadka of mustard seeds, fenugreek and dried chiles. South Indian comfort food.

Chana dal with turmeric, mustard seeds, green chilies, and a tarka of fried onion and garlic. A traditional Indian split chickpea dish that's vegan, protein-rich, and deeply spiced.

This is the basic recipe for cooking lentils or beans. Many southern and southwestern regional recipes call for cooked lentils or beans to be stirred gently into a dish near the end of cooking. Therefore, it may be a good idea ot make them a day ahead and have them ready when you begin the actual cooking.

Low-cal brownies: a quick blender batter that swaps applesauce for butter and a sugar substitute for sugar, baked into a light chocolate fix. A guilt-free brownie ready in about 30 minutes.

Low-calorie banana brownies made fat-free with mashed banana, cocoa powder, egg whites, and buttermilk. A guilt-free chocolate fix that skips butter and yolks entirely.

Low-cal cheesecake made with cottage cheese, skim milk, whipped egg whites, and gelatin instead of cream cheese and butter. A light, no-bake cheesecake with graham cracker crumb topping.

Low-calorie yogurt salad dressing with cucumber, fresh mint, and garlic. A creamy, tangy alternative to heavy dressings with just 6 ingredients and no oil needed.

Light minestrone soup with potatoes, zucchini, green beans, and broken spaghetti in a tomato-basil broth. Made entirely in the microwave for an easy low-calorie dinner.

Indian toor daal pureed smooth, then finished with a tempered tadka of cumin seeds and asafetida in hot oil. Comforting, vegan, and everyday home cooking at its most honest.

Oven-baked potato chips made with just two ingredients: a russet potato and low-fat Italian dressing. Thin slices baked at high heat until crispy and golden, with a fraction of the fat of fried chips.