20 dal recipes

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.

Gujarati dal: a Western Indian lentil stew with eggplant, zucchini, and tomato, tempered with mustard seed, cumin, and asafetida in ghee. Vegetarian, warmly spiced, served over rice.

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.

Sometimes nothing is better than a delicious stir-fry dish that's both healthy and scrumptious.

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.

Low calorie oatmeal cookies made with oat bran, quick oats, apple juice, and just a touch of margarine. No flour, no butter, all the chew.

A diabetic-friendly pumpkin cheese pie with a tangy cream cheese layer under spiced pumpkin custard. No added sugar, sweetened naturally for holiday tables that need a lighter dessert option.

Low-calorie chicken barley soup made from scratch with homemade defatted broth, pearl barley, green beans, and lemon juice. A hearty, satisfying soup without the fat.

A spicy and delicious dish that calls for canned tomatoes, red chili peppers and rice flour.

Pitlai is a South Indian lentil stew with bitter gourd (karela), chickpeas, tamarind, and a ground coconut-spice paste. A tangy, complex vegetarian curry with toor dal and jaggery.

Ful medames is a traditional Egyptian stewed fava bean dish simmered with red lentils, cumin, lemon juice, and olive oil. Hearty, vegan, and high in protein.

A delicious rice dish made with green and red lentils, cashew nuts and seedless raisins.

A scrumptious dish that gets its amazing flavor from plain yogurt, red pepper flakes and a pinch of turmeric.

Traditional Indian soured lentils in tangy yogurt sauce with warming spices. A protein-rich vegetarian dish where mung dal meets creamy, fermented yogurt.

Spring kichadi with basmati rice, mung beans, seasonal vegetables, and a ghee-toasted spice base of cumin, mustard seeds, and turmeric. A gentle, nourishing Ayurvedic one-pot meal.