Lentils with Roasted Beets and Lemon

One of the best things about blogging is that you get to have some amazing experiences.  This past weekend was one for me.  I was invited to go to Napa, California for US Dry Pea and Lentil Council. In case you didn’t know, 2016 is the International Year of Pulses.  If you don’t know what pulses are, they categorized as beans, dry peas, chickpeas and lentils.  We spent the weekend at the Culinary Institute of America (CIA) in Napa learned just how versatile and nutritious these pulses are! I got to make some fabulous recipes that I hope to share with you over the next few weeks.  The first recipe I am sharing was my most favorite dish on the whole trip.  It was Lentils with Roasted Beets and Lemon.  The original recipe was a little more complicated, so I created a simplified version for you.

This dish is healthy, very easy, vegan and gluten free.  I hope you love it as much as I did!  Before I get to the recipe, I would love to share some of the other things I made while there.  If you are following me on Instagram, you may have seen me post some of these pictures already.

When we first arrived on Saturday, we watched a demo from the chefs at the CIA.  Check out this gorgeous demo kitchen.

The chefs showed us 4 vegan dishes: chickpea tots, lentil soup, Tuscan beans and chocolate mousse.  There were others that contained meat as well.  Every dish made with pulses. I LOVED the lentil soup and the chocolate mousse.  More on the mousse later.

The next day, we got to cook in the main kitchen at the CIA.  Check out how gorgeous it is! It was truly an honor.

We were split into teams and cooked several dishes each.  Many of the dishes were vegan.  Here is a sample of a few yummy things we got to eat after.

Everything contained pulses and it was all delicious!!  Here is my sample plate.

They even had many desserts made with beans.

I was seriously stuffed.  Everything was so delicious.  Later that day, we got to do some exploration on our own, instead of using set recipes.  Check out this gorgeous table of yum!

I decided I wanted to try some baking, so I teamed up with a blogger friend to make a tart inspired by the vegan mousse the day before.  Look at this beautiful baking station.

And the ginormous bottle of maple syrup!  OMG.

We made a chocolate coffee tart from aquafaba (chickpea cooking water).  It was so delicious!  You would NEVER guess there was beans in it! Just a few simple ingredients.  We also added coffee extract which is not pictured.

For the tart, we also used a crust that contained chickpea flour.  Here is the final product.

So there you have it.   Now onto the recipe.

Lentils with Roasted Beets and Lemon

Lentils with Roasted Beets and Lemon

print shopping list

Prep Time 10 min Cook Time 35 min Serves 4     adjust servings

Easy and healthy!!

Ingredients

For the Beets

• 2 large beets, peeled and cubed
• 1 tsp olive oil
• Pinch sea salt

For the Lentils

• 1 cup dry green lentils
• 1 large carrot, diced
• 1 medium onion, diced
• Pinch sea salt

For the Lemon Vinaigrette

• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• Juice of one small lemon
• 1 tsp lemon zest
• 1 tsp dijon mustard
• 2 T olive oil
• Optional: 1/4 cup fresh flat leaf parsley, chopped

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. Dice the beets and place them in a bowl . Toss in the olive oil and sprinkle with sea salt. Spread the beets out onto a lined baking sheet .
3. Cook in the oven for about 35 minutes.
4. While the beets are cooking, add the lentils, carrot, and onion to a pot . Fill with enough water to cover the lentils. (About 2 cups) Bring to a boil, then turn down heat and simmer until all the water is absorbed and the lentils are soft.
5. To make the vinaigrette, add all the ingredients to a small bowl and mix together well.
6. To serve, add the beets and lentil mixture to a bowl. Pour the dressing over everything and toss. Garnish with fresh flat leaf parsley. You can also add more salt if needed. Enjoy!

by Melissa King

Recipe Notes

This should last at least 4 days in the fridge.