Spring
Lentil Salad with Roasted Lemon
- Serves 4
Author Notes
Bon Appetit magazine has been really into roasted citrus this season, so I had to see what all the fuss is about. While I like to think I’m not a slave to food trends, I do try to be conversant in them. I can now confidently say that there’s weight behind this trend. The citrus flavour both sweetens and deepens, and brightens up anything these slices come into contact with, turning this potentially humdrum kale and lentil salad into a blockbuster of a side dish. —Kallee Lins
What You'll Need
Ingredients
- The Salad
-
1
lemon
-
1 tablespoon
olive oil
-
salt and pepper to taste
-
1 cup
green lentils
-
3 cups
thinly chopped kale (any variety)
-
3/4 teaspoon
dried tarragon
-
3/4 teaspoon
dried parsely
-
2
small shallots
-
1
avocado, sliced
- Lemon-Tahini Dressing
-
1/8 cup
tahini
-
juice of half a lemon
-
1
clove garlic, pressed in a garlic press
-
1 tablespoon
white wine vinegar
-
1/2 teaspoon
Dijon mustard
-
1/2 teaspoon
agave nectar (or maple syrup)
-
4 tablespoons
olive oil
-
1 pinch
coarse salt
-
pepper to taste
-
4-6 tablespoons
water, according to desired consistency
Directions
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
- Rinse lentils and bring to a boil in 2 1/4 cups salted water. Reduce heat and cook until tender. About 20min. Remove from heat and stir in tarragon and parsley.
- Cut lemon into slices about 1/2 cm in diameter. Toss slices in a bowl with 1 tbls olive oil. Lay slices evenly on a parchment-lined baking sheet and season with salt and pepper. Pop into oven for approximately 10 min. This can vary by a couple of minutes depending on how thick your slices are.
- While lemon is roasting, add all dressing ingredients except the water to a small bowl and mix vigorously with a fork. Continue stirring and mix in the water 1 tbls at a time until desired consistency is reached (I prefer a thinner dressing). Set aside.
- Remove lemon slices from oven as soon as they start to caramelize. They burn very easily, so keep a watchful eye on them.
- Add the chopped shallots and kale to a large bowl and top with a generous amount of dressing. Mix well and set aside for a few minutes to allow kale and shallots to soften.
- Make sure your lentils have cooled and add them to the bowl. You get to decide if you want your salad to be more heavy on the kale or the lentils, and add the lentils accordingly. I tend to use about 2/3 the yield of cooked lentils. Add more dressing and stir until evenly coated.
- Top the kale and lentil mixture with avocado and roasted lemon to serve.
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