Tag: spinach

Yellow lentils with spinach (dal palak)

Sustainability tips:

This recipe requires a few ingredients such as yellow lentils (toor dal), garam masala, and hing that can be found in Indian grocery stores. Yellow lentils can also be found at regular grocery stores depending on where you live. Hing (asafoetida) and garam masala can be skipped if they are not available where you live and replaced with available spices. You can adjust the ingredients to suit your taste. Spinach usually require a lot of pesticides, choosing organic spinach helps reducing the use of pesticides in agriculture. It is also better to avoid produce packaged in plastic bags.

I’ll be happy to send you entirely upcycled produce and grocery bags. Check them out here and let me know if you need any.

Useful things to have ready
  • I suggest to rinse and soak the yellow lentil for about 8 hours before boiling, however is not required. After soaking them they can be kept in the refrigerator for a day or two before cooking.
  • Washed and chopped spinach (click here to see how to wash fresh spinach)

Preparation time: 30 minutes

Ingredients (3-4 people)

  • Yellow lentils (toor dal, 1 fistful/person + 1 more)
  • 1 garlic clove
  • 1 teaspoon of cumin seeds
  • 1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon garam masala (optional)
  • Ginger (fresh or powder)
  • 1 green chili (optional)
  • red chili powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon asafoetida-hing (optional)
  • One bunch of spinach or half bag of frozen spinach
  • Salt
  • One table spoon of vegetable oil

Procedure

  1. Drain and rinse the lentils
  2. Boil for 15-20 minute in little water, just enough to cover them
  3. Chop the spinach
  4. Smash the garlic clove
  5. In a wok heat the oil
  6. When the oil is hot add the cumin seeds
  7. Add red chili powder, ginger, garlic, green chili, hing
  • Add spinach and cook for 5 minutes
  • Add garam masala and turmeric powder
  • Add yellow lentils with some of the water
  • Add salt
  • Simmer for 10 minutes until it reaches desired consistency

This is usually accompanied to rice (white or brown), or whole wheat bread

Risotto with spinach and cherry tomatoes

Sustainability tips:

The main ingredients of this recipe are generally sustainable. You can adjust the ingredients to suit your taste. Below are some additional tips to go more sustainable for those who have the time and availability . Fresh, organic spinach are the most sustainable choice. Regular spinach use a fair amount of pesticides and with the frozen choice comes the plastic bag. The same can be said for the ready made broth that usually comes in a non-recyclable container.

Ingredient
More Sustainable
Less Sustainable

Cheese
Spinach
Vegetable Broth
Onion

Avoid
Organic/Fresh
Home made/buillon
No plastic bags

Parmesan sprinkle
Regular/Frozen
From a box
In plastic bags

Useful things to have ready

Preparation time: 30 minutes

Ingredients (3-4 people)

  • Risotto Arborio or Carnaroli (1 fistful/person + 2 more)
  • 2 bunches of fresh spinach or half bag of frozen spinach (see above how to wash fresh spinach)
  • 1 cups of vegetable broth (see above how to prepare vegetable broth)
  • One table spoon of olive oil
  • Half onion finely chopped
  • Half teaspoon of red chili pepper or black pepper (optional)
  • Half shot glass of white wine (optional)
  • 2 spoons of tomato puree
  • 10-15 cherry tomatoes
  • Salt

Procedure

  1. Wash the spinach thoroughly
  2. Chop the spinach
  3. Wash the cherry tomatoes and slice them in half
  4. In a wok heat the olive oil
  5. Add onions and sautee until golden
  6. Add red pepper (optional)
  7. Add rice and sautee for 1 minute on medium heat
  1. Add white wine and let evaporate (optional)
  2. Add spinach, mix and cook one minute
  3. Add enough broth to cover the rice
  4. Add tomato puree
  5. Lower the heat and let it cook adding broth or water as it gets absorbed by the rice
  • When the rice is almost ready add salt and the cherry tomatoes
  • Finish cooking until rice is soft but not mushy
  • Turn off heat and let it rest for a few minutes. The broth should be entirely absorbed.