Beluga Lentil, Kale and Orange Veg Salad with Olive Tapenade Dressing
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Recipe type: Salad
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 
Serves: 6-8
 
Beluga Lentil, Kale and Orange Veg Salad with Olive Tapenade Dressing, combines autumnal colours, something to serve at Halloween?
Ingredients
Salad
  • 4 cups of orange root veg, medium dice (choose from butternut squash, pumpkin, carrot, sweet potato). I used 1 carrot, 1 small sweet potato and the stem bit from a medium sized butternut squash
  • ½ Tbs coconut oil, melted
  • Pinch salt
  • ½ cup beluga lentils, rinsed
  • 8 kale leaves (dinosaur, tuscan kale, cavalo nero), chiffonade
  • ½ Tbs pumpkin seeds, toasted
Dressing (there may be a little left over)
  • 1 cup / 100g de-stoned black olives
  • ½ Tbs capers
  • 1 clove garlic, roughly chopped
  • 6 Tbs extra virgin olive oil
  • juice half a lemon
  • ½ cup lightly packed (a small handful) basil
  • Salt / pepper to season
Instructions
  1. Pre-heat oven to 200 C (400 F)
  2. Toss the orange veg in the coconut oil and pinch of salt and roast in the oven for 30 minutes, or until softened. Remove and cool.
  3. Meanwhile place the lentils in a small saucepan and cover with water and a pinch of salt by about 10 cm (approx 1.5 cups water). Bring to the boil, reduce to a simmer and cook for 20 minutes until tender. Remove from the heat, strain, rinse with cool water and set aside.
  4. Prepare the dressing by putting the olives, capers, garlic, oil and lemon juice into a small food processor and blend to a smooth loose paste (you are looking for a pourable dressing not a chunky tapenade). Add the basil, and blend again briefly. Season, taste and adjust again if necessary. Olives and capers are quite salty so chances are you won't need much.
  5. To bring together the salad first toss the kale ribbons with the cooled lentils and half of the dressing. Make sure the dressing is well massaged into the kale, adding more if necessary. Next stir in the root veg and transfer to a serving bowl, top with a sprinkling of pumpkin seeds and a further drizzle of the dressing.
Notes
serves 6-8 as side salad / 2-3 as a main with an extra element such as crumbled feta on top
Recipe by Ceri Jones Chef at https://cerijoneschef.com/beluga-lentil-kale-and-orange-veg-salad-with-olive-tapanade-dressing/