Creamy lentil and spinach dahl AND Chocolate ‘ice-cream’
Creamy lentil and spinach dahl
Serve 5/Preparation and cooking time: 30 minutes
Ingredients:
● 1 tbsp. rapeseed or coconut oil
● 2 onions, finely chopped
● 1-inch piece fresh ginger, grated
● 4 cloves garlic, finely chopped or crushed
● 2 tsp ground cumin
● 2 tsp ground turmeric
● 1 – 2 tsp garam masala
● Pinch dried chilli flakes (optional, for added spice)
● 200g red lentils, rinsed well
● 400g tin chopped tomatoes
● 400g tin full fat coconut milk e.g. Thai Gold brand
● 200g bag baby spinach (or use kale or mature spinach, roughly chopped)
● Salt and pepper to taste
● Fresh coriander, finely chopped
● + wholegrain rice or roast sweet potato to serve
Directions:
1. Heat the oil in a large pan and gently fry the onions for 6 – 8 minutes until soft, then add the
ginger and garlic and cook for a further 2 mins
2. Add the spices and cook for 1 minute, then add the lentils, tomatoes, coconut milk and 1 tin
of water and cook for 15 minutes
3. Add the spinach or kale and cook for a further 5 minutes until the veg and lentils are cooked
4. Season well to taste and sprinkle with fresh or frozen chopped coriander
5. Serve on its own, with additional veg or with roast sweet potatoes or wholegrain rice
Tips:
This classic dish keeps very well in the fridge for 3 days. The lentils provide a great source of plantbased protein and lots of heart-healthy fibre.
When choosing a coconut milk, look for one with a 99% + coconut content e.g. Thai Gold and avoid
varieties with fillers and additives. If you feel that full fat coconut milk is too rich for you, just use
half of the can and add an extra ½ can of water. The remaining coconut milk can be frozen to be
used in your next dahl or Thai curry.
Chocolate ‘ice-cream’
Serves 4/Preparation time: 5 minutes + freezing time
This ice cream is suitable for vegans, in addition to being dairy and gluten free. It’s also a great way
to use up over ripe bananas.
Ingredients:
● 3 large ripe bananas, sliced and frozen
● 1 ½ – 2 tbsp cacao powder or more, to taste
● 1 ½ tbsp nut butter
● Pinch sea salt flakes (optional but recommended)
● + Dark chocolate chips or toasted chopped nuts to top, (optional)
Each serving contains 102 calories
Directions:
1. Place the frozen banana slices, cacao and nut butter in a food processor or blender and blend
until smooth and the consistency of soft serve ice cream. You will need to stop the blender and
scrape down the sides several times.
2. Add the salt for the final few seconds of blending and sprinkle the nuts or choc chips on top if
using
3. If too soft, place in the freezer for 30 minutes before serving
Tips:
This can be stored in the freezer for a couple of weeks. If the ‘ice cream’ is too hard to scoop, allow
to defrost for 10 or 15 minutes before serving.
The bananas add natural sweetness, but you can add a little maple syrup if you feel that additional
sweetness is required.
Raw cacao is made from unroasted cocoa beans and rich in minerals like iron and magnesium. It is
now available in most supermarkets.
About the author : Aine Ryan
