Roasted Beetroot with Beluga Lentils and Tahini Dressing
Serves: 4
Time: 45 minutes
I tend to use lentils from the can a lot because of the convenience and the fact that they are pretty much always perfectly cooked, helps. Occasionally I come across beluga lentils which I think are the prettiest of the lentil family so today I am cooking them from scratch with a whole selection of goodies that I found on the side of the road. Up here one of the many things that I am enjoying is the local produce, there is no shortage of little home stalls on the side of the road where people put out there treasures with a small lockbox for you to leave payment in. Tonight the beetroot, sweet potatoes, kale and flat leaf parsley were all local finds and tasted super delicious.
Leftovers
Lunch tomorrow is the exact same as dinner.
What you'll need
1 bunch of beetroot
1 bunch of golden beets
2 medium sweet potatoes
1 bunch of Tuscan kale
1/4 bunch of flat leaf parsley
2 cups of beluga lentils
1 lemon
From the Pantry
1 tablespoon of tahini
olive oil
1 teaspoon of coconut oil
salt and pepper
Prep and Cook
Preheat Oven to 200 Fan Grill
Cook Lentils
Rinse lentils in a sieve under cold water, then place in a medium sized pot with at least 6 cups of water and a large pinch of salt and bring up to the boil. Continue to boil for 15 minutes until the lentils are just about al dente, then turn the water off and leave to sit in the hot water till perfectly soft (but not mushy). Strain off the liquid and set aside.
Cook Veggies
To Foil or Not To Foil
Not all beets are the same so if you have beetroot that feels as hard as wood I would suggest that you start the roasting process with your tray tightly covered with foil, as sometimes they will be so hard that they never really soften and instead just go wrinkly.
Peel the skins off all your beets, and slice into 8 segments. Keeping the golden beets and red beets separate, toss the yellow beets in a little oil with some salt and pepper and spread out evenly across half a baking tray lined with paper.
Use the same bowl and toss the red beets again with a touch of oil and some salt and pepper, then spread across the other half of your baking tray. Place in the oven to roast for 30 minutes.
Leaving the skins on the sweet potatoes, brush off any excess dirt and cut the sweet potatoes in half, then into thin semi circles, place in a mixing bowl and drizzle lightly with olive oil, season with salt, pepper and toss to coat.
Line a baking tray with paper and spread out evenly then pop into the oven to roast for 20 minutes.
Wash the kale then strip the leaves away from the stalks. Heat a large fry pan on high with a touch of coconut oil and toss the kale off quickly with a little salt and pepper, then remove from the pan.
Make Dressing
Mix together the tahini, juice from the lemon, 1 tablespoon of olive oil and some salt and pepper, mix well to combine then gradually add enough cold water to make a drizzle consistency.
Plate it Pretty
Wash and pinch the leaves from the flat leaf parsley.
Scatter some of the roast veggies over your serving plates, then use your hands to sprinkle across some of the lentils, then a scattering of parsley and a few pieces of kale. Drizzle generously with the tahini dressing. Scatter over some more roast veg, some lentils and some parsley then top with tahini dressing.
Enjoy!
Lunch tomorrow
Divide the leftovers up into lunch boxes and drizzle with any of the remaining dressing.