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Dinner is always a frantic time in my house. There is this mad dash to put something on the table while getting my young daughters settled after school, finishing last-minute tasks for work and trying to find just a moment to connect with my wife. And as a dad who cooks professionally, I take pride in serving my family something interesting, delicious and healthy for dinner.
That is why I gravitate towardhealthy make-ahead dinner recipes. I love putting together a homey casserole, a simple veggie-loaded pasta or a hearty stew. And when possible, I spend Sunday afternoonsroasting a baking sheet or two of root vegetables, cooking a big batch ofwhole grains, whisking up aflavorful vinaigretteand prepping fresh veggies for the week.
One of my go-to meals for our family is thisRoasted Root Veggies & Greens over Spiced Lentils. I remember testing this recipe in the EatingWell Test Kitchen and falling in love with its simplicity, gentle flavor combinations and variety of textures. It hits all the notes I love in a recipe: a make-ahead component, warm yet subtle spices, freshly cooked greens and plant-based protein. The fun components go together so well, which means my kids can try lots of different flavors and textures and there’s likely something on their plate they’ll eat.
Then come the beluga lentils, my absolute favorite type of lentil. Just like roasted root vegetables, I often cook a batch of beluga lentils ahead of time and use them throughout the week. In recent years I’ve tried to focus on eating a more plant-based diet, so I appreciate lentils' plant-based protein, pluslentils are a nutritional powerhouseand high in fiber (a serving has almost a third of your daily fiber requirement). But as a professional cook and recipe developer, my affinity for beluga lentils is all about their texture. The best part of beluga lentils is that they hold their shape when cooked. Unlike other lentils, like red or yellow, beluga lentils are not mushy and instead have more of a grain-like texture. They are firm and plump with a mild earthy flavor. I love beluga lentils cold over a crisp green salad or spooned onto a hearty grain bowl.
Beluga lentils are especially delicious when cooked in warm spices, like coriander, cumin and allspice, as they are in this recipe. I often skip the sumac (it’s an optional ingredient for this recipe that my kids have tried many times, but haven’t developed a taste for), but sometimes I’ll add fresh herbs and even cloves of garlic to the cooking liquid.
Having the roasted vegetables and lentils made ahead means that when the dinner rush hits, I can simply warm up the lentils in a little vegetable broth, then sauté the root vegetables with garlic and a couple of handful of sturdy greens, like kale or beet greens, and dinner is ready in about 10 minutes. I serve the meal with some tahini or yogurt—I typically thin them out with a bit of lemon juice to turn them into simple sauces.
The kids like their food separated, so I keep the components separate for them. But I prefer this recipe as a composed dish, so I’ll plate a couple servings for me and my wife. I add a couple of spoonfuls of the lentils, top with garlicky sautéed greens and root vegetables, drizzle on some of the lemony yogurt or tahini, and sprinkle with fresh herbs. I often serve the dish with crusty bread or leftover roasted potatoes (while the oven is hot from roasting the root veggies, I roast a tray of chopped gold potatoes and use them throughout the week). Dinner is served, and it’s a healthy, high-protein and high-fiber meal my whole family will enjoy. Now it’s time to catch my breath, visit with my family and enjoy a healthy and delicious plant-based, protein-packed dinner.
Originally appeared: EatingWell.com, September 2023
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