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Keeping with the theme of Indian flavors that are low fat and healthy, I wanted to highlight two recipes I made recently from Vegetarian Times magazine. 

Ivory Lentil Pancakes (savory)

Click on the link above to see the recipe.  I made a couple of changes to the recipe:  substituted silken tofu for the yogurt, left out the salt, and substituted a very light spray of olive oil for the coconut oil or ghee.

If you haven't seen them, Ivory lentils (Urad Dal) are quite pretty and can be found in Indian grocery stores and some natural food stores.



This isn't one of those instant recipes.  First you have to soak the lentils and rice overnight.  Then you have to puree them, add the yogurt or tofu and ferment for 6 hours.  So you do need to plan ahead to make these delicious savory pancakes, known as Oothapams.  But personally, I definitely thought it was worth it.  They are excellent!  You grill like them any pancake, adding the veggie mixture by pressing it into the pancakes as they cook.



I kept them warm in the oven while I made the remainder.



They would be a great accompaniment to almost any Indian meal.  I served them with:

Mixed Vegetable Kootu

Click on the link above to see the recipe.   This dish has great flavor too and is quite easy to make.



The only change I made to the recipe is that I didn't use the coconut oil.  I water sautéed the vegetables instead.  And I did use the curry leaves.  If you're not familiar with curry leaves, they can be found in most Asian grocery stores.  I buy them when I see them and freeze them so I can have them on hand when I need them.



I think they really added to the flavor of this dish.