Roasted Vegetable and Beluga Lentil Salad

No matter what your work situation is, I always recommend doing batch cooks for lunches or dinners as it takes some stress off during the week and encourages healthy choices.

This roasted vegetable and beluga lentil salad is such a simple recipe and it’s also deliciously nutritious. It’s got a Mediterranean feel but with North African seasoning to mix things up. Black beluga lentils are my favourite variety of pulses. They’re quick to cook and don’t go mushy like some others. They contain a good amount of plant protein, fibre and a number of minerals including calcium, potassium, magnesium and a number of B vitamins. If you want to use another variety because that’s what you have in the cupboard, just make sure you cook them for the right amount of time for that particularly kind, and that you don’t overcook them otherwise this might not be overly tasty.

This salad is perfect as the main component of lunches or dinners throughout the week and can be eaten hot or cold. I particularly like it warm. Pair it with some tempeh / tofu, or a lovely piece of meat / fish, and a leafy green salad.

N.B. This recipe makes loads so I recommend halving it roughly if you don’t want copious amounts to last you days.

SERVES: 6 - 8 portions

TOTAL TIME: 35-40 minutes

SEASON: All seasons

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 1/2 cups black beluga lentils (dry)

• 6 cups water

• 2 red onions

• 2 sweet red peppers

• 1 large courgette

• 1 aubergine (eggplant)

• Avocado oil/coconut oil/butter for cooking (obviously if you’re following a vegan diet don’t use butter)

• 1 tbsp Garlic powder

• 1 tbsp Ras el hanout seasoning (available in the world food aisle/ Turkish supermarket)

• Sea salt

• Black pepper

• Fresh coriander

• Extra virgin olive oil for dressing
  

METHOD:

1. Preheat your oven to 180 degrees C

2. Add a good glug of oil / few knobs of butter to a large roasting dish and place in the oven for a minute of so to heat up

3. Meanwhile, wash and roughly slice all the veggies and then throw them into the roasting dish and mix into the hot oil / fat. Add the garlic powder and ras el hanout seasoning and mix in thoroughly

4. Roast the vegetables in the oven for about 30 minutes, checking and stirring the veg about halfway through

5. Add the water to a large saucepan and bring to the boil

6. Rinse the lentils and add to the saucepan and allow to cook for 20-25 minutes, or until "al dente" but cooked through. (Ensure more water is added to cover the lentils it starts to evaporate down too much)

7. Once cooked, place the lentils into a colander to drain, then rinse under cold water

8. Remove the vegetables from the oven

9. In a large mixing bowl, combine the lentils and the roasted vegetables. Add another tsp of seasoning, a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil, plus salt and pepper to taste.

10. Mix in some fresh coriander and serve