5:2 Diet Vegetarian Recipe: Maybe I need to go to LA... Lentil's Anonymous!

Chocolate… a cold glass of a crisp white… freshly buttered toast… cheese laden pizza… these are the food items that have been the subject of many a craving. How fortunate then since I was on a fast day today that I should have had a genuine craving for lentils over the weekend.

Lentils are great for the 5:2 Fasting Diet, I can't recommend them enough; filling; nutricious, tasty... they really are a no brainer for vegetarians, vegans and meat eaters alike.

Packed full of nutrients and low GI, these much maligned pulses are the perfect 5:2 diet foodstuff. Throw in some spices, half an aubergine, a handful of wild garlic and a couple of ripe toms and you've got a veritable feast.

5:2 Diet Recipe: Aubergine and Red Lentil Curry (185 calories)

Makes 2 servings

1 white onion (approx. 100g) – finely chopped (40)

10 sprays low cal oil spray (10)

½ tsp mustard seeds (14)

½ tsp fenugreek Seeds (10)
1 tsp cumin Seeds (11)

100g aubergine – cut into chunks (24)

1 green chilli (approx 10g) – seeds in or out – finely chopped (6)

1-2 garlic cloves (approx 10g) – finely chopped (10)

5g ginger – finely grated (17)

½ tsp hot paprika (9)

2 tsp garam masala (20)

½ tsp ground cumin (11)

½ tsp ground coriander (11)
1 tsp turmeric (11)

40g red lentils (141)

200g tomatoes – roughly chopped (36)

About 500ml water (0)

10g fresh wild garlic (if you don’t have this, you can just add another small clove with the rest of the garlic) – sliced (2)

1 tbsp lime juice (4)

15g fresh coriander - roughly chopped (3)

1. Fry off the onions and seeds in the spray oil and a splash of water, topping up the water to stop the pan from drying out. Then add in the garlic, chilli and ginger for a couple of minutes.

2. Add the aubergine to the pan and cook off for 5 minutes. Add in the dry spices and cook off for a couple of minutes until the aromatics are starting to escape from the pan.

3. Now it’s time for the lentils to go in, make sure they are well covered with all the spicy mix then top with the tomatoes and most of the water. Leave about 100ml back and add it if needs be as the lentils swell.

4. Add the wild garlic to the pan (or spinach is a great alternative) for the last few minutes of cooking.

5. When the lentils are cooked and the aubergine is nice and soft throw in the fresh coriander and pour in the lime juice.

6. Check the seasoning and adjust. Now all that’s left to do is serve.

Sit back an enjoy and the great thing is that at only 185 calories a potion you can probably double up on fast days when you're super hungry or if you're craving carbs you could add a little rice...

It's no surprise that lentils are a great option not only for the health conscious but the budget conscious too. This recipe is super economical with the pennies so it's the perfect entry for the Credit Crunch Munch Challenge hosted by the Deliceiux blog. This challenge originated on the Fuss Free Flavours and Fab Food 4 All blogs before it found its new home.

FOR MORE 5:2 FAST DIET RECIPES CLICK HERE