Lacinato Kale Dal - Recipe

Want to add a little kick to your holiday meal planning? Let’s talk dal. Dal is a soup prepared from lentils and/or split peas, commonly made in the Indian subcontinent. Dal is not only full of flavor, but also high in protein and many other nutrients. The dal I made this week has lots of yummy ingredients that also happen to show your skin a lot of love! Some of the notable ingredients are kale, ginger and turmeric. Are you swooning, yet?

Kale - One of my favorite leafy greens is kale. Kale is low calorie, high in fiber content and packed with vitamin’s A and C. Vitamin A is important for your skin health; inadequate vitamin A will leave your skin dry, flaky and desperate for hydration. Vitamin C helps protect your skin from premature aging and keeps you looking younger longer. I added Kale to my dal because it adds some fresh color.

Ginger - Another favorite is ginger. This spicy, woodsy root herb gives your dish an extra zing that cannot be matched. Ginger has lots of health benefits. It is known to flush out toxins and kill bacteria, which can lead to a stronger immune system. When the weather gets cold, it’s the perfect natural ingredient to help fight off sickness. Besides boosting your immune system, ginger also has skincare benefits, such as clearing up rashes and acne. So, give your skin and your immune system extra care this autumn and eat (or drink) your ginger.

Turmeric - The queen of spices, turmeric is full of anti-inflammatory and antioxidant components, helps to correct oily skin, protects against sun damage, and has anti-aging elements that keep your skin looking young and beautiful. Turmeric is even known to prevent skin cancer and treat chronic skin conditions such as eczema and psoriasis. You can buy turmeric in capsule form or as a spice and add it to your food. Combining turmeric with black pepper or a healthy fat, such as coconut oil, improves absorption. Cooking turmeric will decrease its benefits, so be sure to add turmeric to your recipe after the heat process to maximize its potential.

These are just a few of the ingredients I used in the Kale Dal I made this week. If you don’t have all the ingredients and you don’t want to go searching, you can use substitutes. For example, if you do not have Kashmiri pepper, you can use a combination of cayenne and paprika. If you do not have Toor Dal, you can use yellow split peas. I never made Dal before this week, but in the spirit of self-growth and change, I wanted to branch out and try something new. The fragrant spices and bright golden color makes this recipe the perfect pick-me-up on a crisp, Autumn evening. 

Here is a list of ingredients you will need to make your Dal:

Spices: mustard seed, cumin seed, salt, Kashmiri pepper, turmeric, coriander
Fresh stuff: garlic cloves, ginger root, jalapeno, yellow onion, Lacinato kale
Other stuff: coconut oil, diced tomatoes, Toori Dal or yellow split peas, water

Recipe:

Lacinato Kale Dal
Serves 4

Prep time: 15 minutes + 2 hours
Cook time: 45 minutes

1 cup of pre-soaked Toor Dal or yellow split peas
2 tablespoons of coconut oil
1 teaspoon mustard seed
1 teaspoon cumin seed
2 Jalapenos, seeded and diced
1 yellow onion, diced
1-inch fresh ginger, minced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 can diced tomatoes
1 teaspoon Salt
1 teaspoon Turmeric
½ teaspoon Coriander
¼ tsp Kashmiri or Cayenne pepper
3 ½ cups water
1 bunch of fresh lacinato kale

Directions:

Soak the peas in water for two hours or overnight.

Heat oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add the mustard seeds and cumin and cook quickly- only for about 10 seconds. Then add the jalapenos, onions, ginger, garlic, salt, turmeric, coriander and Kashmiri pepper. Cook for 5 minutes.

Add diced tomatoes and continue to cook for 10 minutes. Breakdown the tomatoes a bit with the back of a spoon.

Drain and rinse the peas. Add water and drained peas to pot and bring to a boil. Lower the temperature to medium or medium low and keep the soup at a low boil for 20-30 minutes, until the peas are soft. Use a whisk to mash the peas. Alternatively, you can use an immersion blender and pulse the soup 3 or 4 times to mash it a bit. Do not over-pulse.
Stem and chop the kale and add it to the pot. Cook until kale starts to wilt. Serve hot with fresh naan and basmati rice. You can check out my favorite naan recipe here.

Sources:

1. http://www.stylecraze.com/articles/amazing-benefits-of-kale/#gref
2. http://tiphero.com/ginger-health-benefits/
3. http://www.naturallivingideas.com/turmeric-for-skin/

Ari Rose Contributor:

Emily is the founder of Eat Your Vegan Heart Out, a blog containing her collection of vegan recipes. Emily currently resides in the city of Chicago where she is often experimenting, cooking and baking up delicious vegan dishes, desserts and more. She credits learning how to cook and bake from her mother, beginning her culinary journey as a little girl. One year ago she became passionate about veganism and making vegan dishes to support her sister who’d developed a dairy allergy. For Emily, the switch to a vegan diet has not been easy, but it has been very rewarding. She plans to share her delicious vegan recipes and tips on transiting to a plant based diet with the Ari Rose™ community.