Dal Makhani

Dal Makhani is translated to mean "buttery lentils." These lentils are definitely buttery tasting, but there's no butter! Amazing!

Ingredients: 1 cup each of black whole urad daal and chana dal, 2 cans of kidney beans, 1 can crushed tomatoes, 5 small tomatoes (diced), garam masala, red chili powder, salt, ginger (grated), olive oil, cumin seeds, fenugreek/methi seeds, fat-free half and half

Let the chana dal and urad dal soak in warm water overnight. Drain and rinse the lentils when you are ready to use them.
Set your crockpot on high setting for 4 hours. Throw in the chana dal, the urad dal, the 2 cans of red kidney beans (don't drain the beans... we want the juice from the can in there too!), and 2 cups of water.
After 2 hours I used a masher thingie to mash up my beans. This was unnecessary, don't bother doing this.
After 3 hours I began to prepare the contents of the saucepan. The way you would toast garlic in olive oil for Italian sauces, you will do so with ginger for Indian tomato sauces! Mince your ginger using a cheese grater so you have ~2 tablespoons worth. Heat up some EVOO and add your ginger to it.
Once the ginger has browned, add ~1/4 teaspoon each of the fenugreek/methi seeds and the cumin seeds.
When the cumin seeds begin to pop, add the minced tomatoes and crushed tomatoes. Mix around and let cook for just under 10 minutes, or until ready.

Add the contents of the crockpot to the skillet. Mix around and let stand for a few minutes. Add ~2 tablespoons of kosher salt.Add ~1/2 teaspoon of garam masala (or to taste). Mix it around.
Add ~1/2 teaspoon of red chili powder (or to taste). Mix it around. Taste the lentils and make sure the spice is how you like it. Adjust as necessary.
Add as much fat-free half and half as you like. Of course you could fatten it up with some butter and heavy cream, but I've shown here that you don't need to.
Mix it about. You're done! Hoorah!