No tags yet.
This recipe is part of my Illustrious Bowls of Paris series, where I explore how the techniques in shopping and cooking I learned in Paris have translated to #TheMaddieWay in Los Angeles. The meals all emphasize local, sustainable, healthy, and delicious ways of cooking and nourishing yourself.
This bowl features both cooked and fresh elements, like buttery lettuce, French lentils, and roasted fennel and broccoli, both of which I meal prepped before and threw in this bowl for a quick lunch. The lentils and roasted vegetables made an appearance in other recipes, since I refuse to partake in redundant meal-prep.
The moves:
Simmer lentils
Roast vegetables
Prep fresh vegetables
Plate one serving and store the rest
4 servings
Simmered Lentils
1 cup French lentils
1 clove garlic, smashed
1 bay leaf
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
Sea salt
Black pepper
Combine the lentils, garlic, and bay leaves in a large pot and cover with water by 2 inches. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce to a simmer and cook until just tender, about 15 minutes. Drain the water and pull out the garlic and bay leaves. Season with turmeric, salt, and pepper.
While that's simmering away, make the roasted veggies. I encourage you to free-style with any vegetables you have on hand.
Roasted Vegwa
1 head of fennel, cut into 8 wedges down the center
1 red onion, cut into 8 wedges down the center
4 large carrots, halved lengthwise and cut into inch-long pieces
3 medium beets, quartered
1 tablespoon olive oil, avocado oil, or melted coconut oil
Salt and herbs of choice, like paprika, thyme, oregano, and cayenne
Arrange the racks in an oven to the upper and lower thirds. Preheat the oven to 400 F. Prepare two large sheet pans with parchment paper. Make sure there’s enough room for the vegetable to sit in a single layer, as this will allow them to char, not steam.
Toss all vegetables (but the beets, which will stain) in a large mixing bowl with salt and seasonings. Lay out on the sheet pans, leaving a side for the beets. Do the same for the beets. Roast for 30-40 minutes until slightly charred and tender - watch those carrots carefully! - turning and tossing halfway through.
Meanwhile, make a vinaigrette of choice. Anything would be good, but because I used pomegranate seeds, I wanted to mirror those sweet flavors, rather than add anything too mustardy or garlicky.
Madwa Lemon Vinaigrette:
1 organic meyer lemon, scrubbed
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp honey
Sea salt or himalayan salt
pepper
Peel the meyer lemon and mince the peel, or zest with a Microplane. Add the zest to a jar with a tight-fitting lid. Squeeze the lemon juice into a bowl, remove the seeds, and measure out the juice. You should have about 4 tablespoons, but add either more juice or another acid, like apple cider vinegar, to get 4 Tablespoons. Add the juice to the jar with an equal amount of extra virgin olive oil. Add the honey and season with salt and pepper. Shake the jar vigorously to emulsify.
While everyone’s simmering and roasting, tear, wash, and dry all your fresh vegetables. Tear the lettuce and de-stem the parsley. Preferably, do this step when you just get home from the store.
In a shallow bowl, toss the 1 quarter of the cooled lentils with the roasted vegetables, lettuce, and 2 tablespoons of vinaigrette.
Topitoff with fresh parsley, crumbled feta, sliced avocado, and pomegranate seeds.
Mix and match the lentils and roasted vegetables in different dishes throughout the week, like a soup, in grains, or simply more salads.