roasted vegetable and lentil salad
Regular readers of our blog and social media pages will know that we love a salad even in the colder months. However the key is to add warm elements. There’s nothing worse than a cold crisp iceberg lettuce in the winter! This salad is warm with roasted vegetables, warm lentils and then a punchy harissa spicy dressing. So easy to rustle up on a cold winter day. If I am going to roast vegetables then I make a large tray full to be enjoyed over the coming days.
ingredients
serves 2
Vegetables for roasting - carrots, courgettes, pepper, sweet potato, beetroot, squash, onion and leek all work well. Amounts will depend on if you are roasting for another day or just today’s salad
2 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon dried herbs
Kale, large handful per person
220g jar of lentils
Feta cheese, 100g per person
1 tablespoon of pumpkin seeds, sesame seeds or sunflower seeds to top
Dressing
50g extra virgin olive oil
3 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar
1 tsp harissa paste (we use Belazu rose harissa paste)
method
If you are going to roast vegetables it makes sense to roast a batch and save some for another day. Cut the vegetables into bite sized pieces and add to a baking tray.
Toss the vegetables in 2 tablespoon of olive oil and scatter in 1 teaspoon of dried herbs.
Cook in oven for 30-40 minutes, giving the tray a stir mid way through, until the vegetables are soft and starting to caramelise.
Strip the kale into small pieces and add to a plate or bowl.
Top with the lentils which you can warm through or leave cold.
Add the roasted vegetables.
For the dressing add all the ingredients to a small jar and shake well.
Add the dressing to the salad.
Top with the feta cheese and the seeds. You could add all the seeds - or just your favourites.
the health boost tip
You can use any vegetables you like for the roasted veg. However try and keep the vegetables varied and colourful. The more variety of vegetables you consume the better for your health and the health of your gut microbiome.
