Holiday eating, I love it, I hate it, I look forward to it and I pay for it after. As much as I try really hard to balance my diet (see my post here), holidays are tough because there is not only so much food around, but so many treats! So, when I'm home and doing the cooking, I try to keep to a protein-rich meal that is heavy on the vegetables. Luckily there are so many great seasonal winter vegetables that are beautiful to look at (check out the colours in that bowl above!) and absolute perfection when roasted. This Spinach Lentil and Root Veg Bowl is a great home-cooked winter meal. It's hearty comfort food that keeps me full.
Meal planning during the holiday season helps me to ensure that I am eating as well as I can. The chopping and roasting in this dish takes a bit of time upfront, but really brings out the sweetness of the root vegetables and adds so many layers of flavour to the finished bowl.
Du Puy lentils (sometimes called french lentils, or green lentils), are great in a bowl type of dish where they are the sustenance. In terms of health benefits, they are high in fibre, high in iron and are a great source of plant-based protein. Lentils are also high in magnesium and are a good source of folic acid. They also are a rich, earthy taste, so they don't compete with the flavours of the dressing and the root veg in this particular recipe.
Enjoy this bowl as a main or a hearty side.
So get cooking!
Krista
Spinach Lentil and Root Veg Bowl
Ingredients
For the Lentils and Vegetables
1 medium sweet potato, peeled and cut into bitesize cubes
4 medium beets, peeled and cut into cubes and slices (I like both, you can do either or)
8 small carrots, peeled and cut into same size pieces as sweet potato and beets
3 small parsnips, peeled and cut into same size pieces as other root veg
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
salt and pepper
1.5 cups Du Puy french lentils (green), rinsed first in cold water until water is no longer cloudy (pick out any rocks or hard lentils)
3 cups water (or vegetable broth if you would like a bit more flavour)
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 cups fresh spinach, packed
flat leaf parsley, chopped, garnish
crumbled goat cheese (optional)
For the Dressing (this can be made up to 2 days ahead)*
1 garlic clove, minced
2 tablespoons red onion, minced
1 teaspoon grainy mustard
1 teaspoon dried oregano
salt and pepper to taste
4 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
Method
Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees. Peel and cut sweet potato, beets, carrots and parsnips into same size pieces. Place cubes and pieces onto 2 baking sheets. I like to keep the beets separate so that their colour doesn't bleed into the other vegetables. Drizzle olive oil on top of vegetables, rubbing in with your hands. Add salt and pepper. Roast vegetables for around 30 minutes. Depending on the size of your pieces this may take 25 minutes for smaller cubes and up to 40 minutes for bigger cubes. Remove baking sheet from oven and let cool slightly.
While the vegetables are roasting, place rinsed lentils and liquid (water or broth) into a large sauce pan. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer uncovered until liquid is absorbed or lentils are el dente, about 20-30 minutes. You don't want to over cook Du Puy lentils or they become mushy. Once lentils are cooked (drain any extra fluid if some remains), remove sauce pan from heat and add remaining 1/2 teaspoon of salt and stir.
Add spinach to the lentils and stir until spinach starts to wilt (I like mine to remain intact),then add root vegetables and mix.
You can either pour the dressing over top of the lentils and veg while it is still warm, or I like to serve the bowls and then let people add as much or as little of the dressing as they like. It's up to you! Garnish with parsley and crumbled goat cheese if using.
*To make the dressing (this can be done ahead of time, up to 2 days prior) combine in a small the garlic, red onion, mustard, oregano, salt and pepper and apple cider vinegar. Stir. While whisking, slowly drizzle the olive oil into the dressing until it emulsifies.
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