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Home / Training / Nutrition / Recipes / Vegan Spiced Dahl with Butternut Squash, Broccoli and Spinach

Vegan Spiced Dahl with Butternut Squash, Broccoli and Spinach

A single cup of cooked dried peas in your daily diet provides 65% of your recommended daily fibre. They also provide protein, B vitamins and isoflavones, which are helpful in reducing the risk of developing breast and prostate cancer.

Preparation time 5mins
Cooking time 20mins
Equipment needed Medium-sized saucepan; frying pan; roasting tray; stick blender (optional)

For the Dahl
250g yellow split peas
Half an onion, sliced
2 cloves of garlic, sliced
2 tsps yellow or black mustard seeds
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
1/2 tsp coriander seeds
Half a small red chilli

200g butternut squash (about half an average-sized squash)
125g broccoli or purple sprouting
75-100g fresh spinach
1 tbsp rapeseed or olive oil

Instructions

1 Preheat your oven to 200C. Rinse the split peas well in cold water to remove excess starches. Cover them with more cold water – about six times their amount. Bring to a simmer and use a spoon to remove the foam that develops as they cook.

2 Simmer for 15-20mins until soft. Then, if you wish, coarsely puree them with a stick blender. Stir in the chilli.

3 While the split peas are cooking, peel the butternut squash with a knife, remove and discard the seeds, and cut into small chunks.

4 Roast in the oven with the oil for 10-20mins, adding the broccoli after 5mins. Remove and keep warm.

5 Now the spicy bit. Add a little oil to a frying pan and cook the onion for 5mins until it starts to colour.

6 Now add the spices and garlic. Cook for approx 2mins on a low heat until the spices toast but don’t burn.

7 Stir the spinach into the lentils, along with the butternut and broccoli. Place into a bowl and finish by topping with the spicy onion mix.

Profile image of Matt Baird Matt Baird Editor of Cycling Plus magazine

About

Matt is a regular contributor to 220 Triathlon, having joined the magazine in 2008. He’s raced everything from super-sprint to Ironman, duathlons and off-road triathlons, and can regularly be seen on the roads and trails around Bristol. Matt is the author of Triathlon! from Aurum Press and is now the editor of Cycling Plus magazine.