I’m excited to share my first vegan recipe on my blog. This is for a tangy Vegetable Dhansak.

Dhansak is one of my favourite takeaways. I could happily chow down on it at anytime of day or night but as I am trying to be a bit healthier, eating take out from my favourite curry house all the time sort of defeats the hard work. It’s hard to know exactly what goes into a takeaway and so work out how good or not good for you it is.

This recipe is another good one for using p leftover vegetables and also a good meal prep as it will keep happily in the fridge for a little while. I suspect you could also freeze it well, but I have never had enough left to try!

You can use pretty much any vegetables for this, but my main bulk veg in this recipe is butternut squash (it also works well with pumpkin.) It adds a nice sweetness to the curry and makes it a hearty dish.

I serve my Dhansak with rice or with naan but you could also eat it on it’s own for a light meal/snack.

Ingredients:

Low calorie cooking spray

2 Onions, diced

2 Cloves of garlic, crushed

20g Fresh ginger, finely chopped

2 tsps. Garam masala

½ tsp Hot chilli powder

400g Tin chopped tomatoes

500ml Vegetable Stock

2 Bay Leaves

Juice of 1 lime

1 tbsp Tomato puree

2 Red bell peppers, chopped

600g Butternut squash

1 Carrot, diced

150g Cherry tomatoes

80g Kale, stalks removed and shredded

80g Peas

100g Red split lentils, washed and drained

Chopped coriander to serve (optional)

Method:

1. Spray a pan with oil and place over a medium heat. A sauté pan is what I use but a large saucepan would work too. Cook the onions, stirring regularly, until softened and very lightly browned.
2. Add the butternut squash and other vegetables to the pan. Cook for two minutes. Stir in the garlic, ginger, garam masala and chilli powder and cook for a few seconds, stirring constantly.
3. Tip in the tomatoes and add the stock, lentils, lime juice and bay leaves.
4. Bring to the boil, then cover loosely with a lid and simmer gently for 35 minutes, or until the lentils have completely broken down, stirring occasionally.
5. Remove the lid for the last 10 minutes of cooking time, stirring regularly so the lentils don’t stick.
6. Serve into bowls with rice or naan and garnish with coriander and extra lime if you choose.

This recipe makes 4 servings and is roughly 270 calories per serving.

Carbs: 44g

Fat: 2g

Protein: 8g