Warm Lentil and Apple Salad with Roasted Beets

Make while listening to The Floorbirds ---http://www.myspace.com/thefloorbirds

I often find myself left with the most random items in my fridge, usually remainders from the previous week’s meals.  Since I get lazy about heading out to the store in the chilly weather, I frequently have figure out how to turn all these remaining ingredients into a dish before they go bad.     

As was the case today, so I picked out the three most likely contenders:  one beet, some cooked green (French) lentils, and an apple.  I’ve been adding curry to everything lately, so I was curious to see how this would shape the flavor of the above ingredients.  

I was surprised to find that the earthy and comfortable flavors, colors, and textures from the roasted beet and seasoned lentils perfectly embodied the sound of The Floorbirds.  The Indian spices provided an exotic direction of flavor, but the food still remained grounded by the familiar, traditional flavors of green apple and beet; similar to the fresh arrangements of classic Americana music that this folk duo from Minnesota create. 

Ingredients:

Lentil and Apple Salad

1 Tbsp vegan butter (you could use olive oil too)

2 medium cloves of garlic, minced

1 tsp cumin

1 tsp curry paste (I used Vindaloo)

½ tsp salt

¼ tsp cinnamon

½ c. basmati rice, uncooked

1 c. chicken (or vegetable) stock

1 ½ c. cooked green lentils**(note below)

1 peeled and diced green apple

Roasted Beets

1 Beet

1 Tbsp vegan butter (melted) or olive oil

You will also need a baking sheet

Directions:

I made the beets and the lentil salad at the same time, so this recipe is not chronological!

Beets: (This method will also work for roasting any root vegetable!) Preheat the oven to 400°.  Peel the beet and cut into 4 even rounds.  Drizzle the 1 Tbsp of vegan butter or olive oil onto both sides of each round.  Place on the baking sheet.  Bake for 35-45 minutes depending on the oven.  Flip the beets halfway through cooking.

Salad: In saucepan, heat the vegan butter/olive oil over medium heat; Cook garlic, cumin, curry paste, cinnamon, and salt, stirring often for 5 minutes.  Stir in rice and cook for 1 minute. Pour in stock, stir, and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 20 minutes.  Uncover and stir in cooked lentils and diced apples.  Cover and cook for 5 minutes.

The beets should be done by now, so cut each round into quarters and serve with the salad.

**To cook green/French lentils, all you need to do rinse and drain your lentils in a colander, fill a large pot with water and your drained lentils, bring to boil, cover and simmer for 30 minutes and then drain.  Do not add salt as it will make the lentils tough.  So, it’s just like making pasta--Easy!