Spinach Dal

Bring vegetable stock to a boil in a medium saucepan. Add lentils, chili powder, turmeric, and salt. Reduce heat to low and simmer about 15 minutes, until lentils are tender (but not mushy).

While lentils are cooking, cook and drain frozen spinach according to package instructions. Make sure to press out as much excess water as possible. Set aside.

Melt butter in a large saute pan over medium to medium-high heat. Add spinach, onion, garlic, tomato, cumin, curry powder, ginger, and cinnamon. Saute until the onions are translucent, about 5–7 minutes. Remove from heat.

Once lentils are cooked, add about 1 cup of their cooking liquid to the spinach mixture. Use an immersion blender to puree the mixture until almost smooth. Add more of the cooking liquid, as needed, to blend the mixture.

Once the spinach mixture is blended, stir in remaining stock and lentils. If mixture is too thick for your preference, you can thin it with additional vegetable stock or water.

Eat warm with rice and naan.

Note: When you rinse your lentils, sift through them and remove any little pebbles or bad lentils before cooking.