23 dal recipes

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.

A delicious side dish that goes well with jerk chicken or curried beef.

Lucknawi dal simmers pink lentils with turmeric and tamarind, then finishes with a sizzling tadka of cumin seeds, fried onion, garlic, ginger, and dried red chili. Sour, smoky, and brothy in the best Awadhi tradition.

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.

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-calorie chocolate brownies made with melted semi-sweet chocolate and egg whites instead of yolks or butter. A lighter brownie with a fudgy bite and powdered-sugar dusting.

Try this scrumptious side dish made with pistachio nuts, cinnamon and rosewater syrup.

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.

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.

Low-cal pumpkin pie skips eggs, butter, and traditional crust. Sugar-free pudding mix and skim milk thicken the spiced pumpkin filling over a thin water-bound graham crumb base. Diabetic-friendly.

Quick curried coconut rice using instant rice, sliced mushrooms, and Thai yellow curry powder. Includes a clever low-fat imitation coconut milk recipe.

No-bake low-calorie fruit truffles made with mashed bananas, orange juice and zest, ground almonds, rolled in cocoa and crushed almond coating. Naturally sweet, gluten-free.

Low-calorie gumbo-style vegetable soup with okra, tomatoes, corn, celery, and rice. A thin, snackable broth for when you want something hot and filling but light on calories.