Dhal is easy to make, it's healthy and so delicious. Furthermore, you can read my post on the benefits of dhal.

Ingredients
1 cup of yellow split peas
water to cover the split peas
salt to taste
3 cloves of garlic chopped and 2 whole cloves
2 tbsp. vegetable oil
1 tsp. curry powder
pepper (red or black pepper)
parsley green onions to garnish

Instructions
1. Place the peas, the two cloves of garlic, curry powder, salt and pepper in a pressure cooker.
2. Add water to cover the peas in the pressure cooker, and cook until you have a smooth liquid.
3. In a pan heat the 2 tbsp. of vegetable oil and add the 3 remaining chopped cloves of garlic; cook until the garlic is golden brown.
4. After the garlic is finish cooking, transfer the oil and garlic right away to the pressure cooker, and add it (make sure to stand back because it can splatter).
5. Garnish with some chopped parsley and green onions.

Note:
I like to use a pressure cooker because it cooks the split peas faster but if you don't have one you can use a pot. Also, you can soak your peas in some water the night before in order for them to cook faster.

The parsley and green onions add great flavor also.

You're never too young or old to start practicing good lifestyle habits. Below are some good lifestyle tips that you can try:

1. Go meatless at least one day in a week or simply add more vegetables to your meals. When cooking some of your meals, try adding a little veggie to it. Just chop them up into small pieces and add them in. This way you know you're getting veggies in your meal and if you have kids that they are too.
2. Try to eat gluten free. Gluten is responsible for a lot of health problems! There are some really delicious gluten-free products like bread and pasta available these days, so choose those instead.
3. Drink less or if possible no alcohol. Try non-alcoholic drinks instead on your night out.
4. Exercise. We all need this. It can be as simple as going for a nice long walk.
5. Drink less caffeinated beverages. Omg, the amount of coffee we all drink every day! Try drinking less by substituting your coffee with beverages that are caffeine free.
6. Drink more water. No matter how much water you think you're drinking, drink some more. Water is essential to our very existence. If you're drinking plain water and hate it, try flavoring it with lemon juice or slices of fruits (Related post: DIY healthy flavored water).
7. Eat less salt. It's important to keep tabs on our salt intake each day. One great way of doing this is by cooking your own meals and eating less takeout because you don't know what they're putting in your food. Also, avoid processed foods because they contain lots of salt and instead of using tin products (like tomato sauce) make your own or look for low-sodium ones.
8. Consume less fat. Eat less fried foods. Instead of frying your chicken or chips or whatever it is that you normally fry; bake it in the oven instead.
9. Go to the doctor for regular checkups. It's better to know of a disease at its early stage.

Good lifestyle habits can improve our health so let's make an effort to try these.

Related posts:

• What is gluten in food?
• The health effects of gluten
• How to remove gluten from your diet

 

I grew up in a typical West Indian home here in South America, and as a result had dhal more times than I can remember. This Indian dish is eaten by many worldwide, especially vegetarians. Did you know that dhal is a healthy food option? Some persons don't!

Dhal is delicious, healthy and it makes eating meatless so tolerable. Not to mention, it's cheap if you're on a budget and so easy to prepare especially on busy week nights.

What is dhal made of?

The way in which dhal is cooked varies in different parts of the world and almost all of them are made basically from yellow split peas and a few other ingredients, e.g. turmeric, garlic and ginger, etc.




Why dhal?
One might ask why is dhal good for me? The main fact that dhal is made from split peas makes it good for you. Split pea is a lentil that belongs to the legume family. This tiny lentil is a great source of protein and fiber. The protein that it contains will make you feel fuller longer, and the fiber that it contains will make you feel fuller faster. In addition, this food is also low in calories.
Consequently, it's a healthy option for meat eaters as well as vegetarians and vegans. The turmeric, garlic and ginger makes this dish even healthier.

On a diet?
This is an ideal food for weight loss.

How can I serve dhal?
Dhal can be served:

• with rice or roti topped with some sort of vegetable or meat
• by itself (my neighbor did this a lot)

Dhal served over rice with chicken curry is my favorite way to eat it and leftovers can be used in recipes.

Cooking tips:
Split peas can take quite some time to cook, so two cooking tips in cooking dhal faster are:

• Cook it in a pressure cooker and it finishes in no time (this is the fastest way to cook it and personally my favorite).
• If you don't have a pressure cooker, soak split peas overnight and boil the next day in a pot. Soaking it makes it a bit softer and thus earlier and faster to cook.