Lentil Dal Wraps

Dal, an Indian preparation of lentils, makes for a thick, creamy filling in these flatbread sandwiches. The original recipe recommended the flatbread wraps from a company called Flatout, but a perusal of their ingredients did not seem nearly vegan or all-natural enough; I went to Whole Foods instead. The closest substitute was their house brand of whole wheat lavash wraps. However, since the recipe called for 2, 1.5 ounce flatbreads, and the lavash wraps were 3 ounces each, I split one in half and used half for each wrap.

Begin by making the lentils, however. Heat a teaspoon and a half of canola oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Add 1 cup vertically sliced Vidalia onion (or other sweet onion of your choice) and cook for 5 minutes. Add 1/2 cup dried red lentils, 1 small cinnamon stick, 1 and 1/2 teaspoons chopped fresh ginger and 1/8 tsp. crushed red pepper; cook for 10 minutes.

This step made me nervous - cooking the lentils for that long without any liquid? And of course even having been leery, I didn't pay attention and turned around to find a few of my lentils were burning onto the bottom of the saucepan! To avoid that, make sure you stir occasionally, and I also recommend turning down the heat even a notch lower than medium.

Add 1/2 cup water and 1/2 cup vegetable broth; bring to a boil, then simmer for 10 minutes.

Stir in 1/2 cup more water and 2 and 1/4 teaspoons lemon juice; continue to cook for half an hour, stirring occasionally - the mixture will be thick by the end.

Stir in 1/4 tsp. salt and remove the cinnamon stick. Let the mixture come to room temperature before spreading over the flatbreads.

As I mentioned, use any 1.5 ounce brand of your choice that is vegan, or split 1 whole wheat lavash roll from Whole Foods' bakery in half. On each flatbread, spread 1/2 cup of the dal and top with 1 tablespoon plain soy yogurt (such as Whole Soy). Julienne-cut a 1/4 cup of cucumber, and divide evenly among the two flatbreads.

Roll each up, then cover and chill. Because these are meant to be made ahead, they are perfect for a portable lunch to work. Each wrap is 470 calories.

Cost:
ginger $0.48
flatbread wraps $2.89
plain soy yogurt $1.59
cucumber $0.66