Palak Dal
Difficulty Level Easy
I'm always talking about cooking healthy, nutritional foods in your own home, but what does that really mean? March is Nutrition Month and I'll be posting on 10 essential nutrients, what they do for your body and how to get them. There will be a recipe every day highlighting each nutrient.
Iron helps transport oxygen to cells and tissues, is used to make neurotransmitters that help with concentration. it is also needed to manufacture many proteins and enzymes in the body. There are two types of iron, heme and non-heme. Heme iron is found in animal foods and is easy to absorb. Non-heme is found in plant foods and is harder to absorb. Adding a vitamin C rich food to a plant based food will help with the absorption.
What to eat to get heme iron: beef, oysters, clams, turkey, chicken, tuna, pork loin, halibut.
What to eat to get non-heme iron: instant oatmeal, soybeans, lentils, baked beans, black beans, firm tofu, cooked spinach, raisins, prune juice.
This is a lovely recipe that takes very little time to put together. You could serve it over rice, or with some naan.
INGREDIENTS
| 1 cup | lentils |
| 2 1/2 cups | water |
| 1 bunch | spinach, chopped |
| 1 | small green chili, chopped |
| 1/2 teaspoon | turmeric |
| 1 tablespoon | oil |
| 1 teaspoon | cumin seeds |
| 1 | onion, diced |
| 1 tablespoon | garlic, chopped |
| 1 tablespoon | ginger, grated |
| 1 | small green chili, chopped |
| 1 | tomato, diced |
| 1 teaspoon | coriander powder |
| 1/2 teaspoon | red chili powder |
| Juice of 1 lemon | |
| 1/4 cup | cilantro, chopped |
PREPARATION:
- Cook the lentils in the water along with the spinach, green chili and turmeric until tender, about 20-30 minutes.
- When the lentils are nearing completion, Heat the oil in a separate pan. Add the cumin seeds and heat them until the sizzle and pop. Add the onion and saute until tender, about 5-7 minutes.
- Add the garlic, ginger and green chili and saute until fragrant, about a minute. Add the tomato, coriander powder and chili powder and cook for a few minutes.
- Add the lentils and spinach mixture along with the lemon juice and remove from heat.
From the website Closet Cooking
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