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I love lentils. Prepared almost any way, I love lentils: lentil soup to lentilles de Puy, I just love them. I love how quickly lentils cook, how they readily take on the flavors with which they are cooked, and how they just fall apart into creamy goodness after a bit of cooking.

This recipe for massor dal—Indian curried lentils—is excellent over quinoa (my favorite), as well as basmati rice. It is soupy enough to double as a soup. It's nice to have the flexibility to serve it in a number of ways. I adapted this recipe from Colleen Patrick-Goudreau's The Vegan Table: 200 Unforgettable Recipes for Entertaining Every Guest at Every Occasion. I highly recommend her book. It has so many creative recipes that really are delicious both to vegans and to meat-eaters. The main thing I change in every recipe, though, is to add fat for sautéing instead of using water, as she calls for. Patrick-Goudreau's recipes are mostly low- to no-fat, which is fantastic for people who need to be on a restricted fat diet and still want to eat fabulously. But I want a bit of fat. So I add it back in. This is actually one recipe where she does call for oil. If you need to go fat-free, just use water instead!

Vegan Masoor Dal (Indian red lentils) — prep time: 30 minutes; serves 6

Ingredients

2 cups red lentils, rinsed and picked over

3 teaspoons coconut oil

4 garlic cloves, minced

1/2 cup diced onion

1/2 cup dry vermouth

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 tablespoon ground coriander

1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1 teaspoon salt

5 cups water

Directions

Heat oil in a medium pot over medium heat. Add onion and garlic. Sauté for several minutes, until onion just starts to brown.

Add vermouth.

Stir in spices. Add water, lentils and salt. Cover and cook over medium heat about 20 minutes, until lentils are soft and falling apart.

Serve hot over quinoa or basmati rice or on its own as a soup.

Enjoy!