After last night’s expensive dinner we opted for one much more economical. Lentils are probably the cheapest way to serve protein plus they cook up quickly with no soaking or pre-cooking. This is especially true of red lentils. (Red lentils are not red. They look salmon colored and cook up yellow.) Red lentils are split and not as firm as brown or green lentils. This makes them a good choice for soups and stews. Here is my recipe for Afghani dal.