When the weather is cold outside and the mornings are still dark, the thoughts of eating cooler foods such as salads may be the last thing you'd consider. It is natural for our appetites and food choices to change with the seasons and changing temperatures often with a more robust appetite and need for warmer foods during the winter months.
To help with a little creativity in the kitchen I often enjoy taking a foodie idea, see which ingredients I have available and apply a seasonal makeover.
I absolutely love roasted carrots and with New Year celebrations planned I was on the list to bring a "veggie side" to accompany a tremendous Beef Wellington. A satisfying warm salad it would be, full of robust flavours and textures, simple to put together and suitable for leftovers the following day.
This warm salad is a meal in itself with both lentils and tender kale in a tasty mustard dressing and yet equally delicious as a side to some grilled fish or meat.
Ingredients:
Serves 6 as a side, 3-4 as a main dish
750g of carrots, scrubbed and cut length ways into quarters.
1 cup full of dry green or puy lentils (ideally soaked for couple of hours, overnight is easiest)
Generous bunch of kale, washed and roughly chopped
2 tsp dried cumin seeds
1tsp salt
3 table spoons of olive oil
Seeds from half a pomegranate (optional)
(For the dressing)
3 table spoons of olive oil
1 table spoon wholegrain mustard
Juice of half a lemon (or 2 tbl sp of apple cider vinegar)
pinch of salt
1 tsp clear honey and 1 clove of minced raw garlic
Method:
First place the cut carrots in a bowl, drizzle with the olive oil and sprinkle on the cumin seeds and salt. Combine well and spread out on a baking tray to bake in a hot over (180C) for 30 minutes till roasted and golden. Meanwhile, cook the lentils in plain boiling water till just tender (about 20-25 minutes) and set aside. Now blanch the kale; simply bring a pan of salted water up to the boil and place the kale in for approx 1 minute. Have a cold tap running or a bowl of cold water ready to immediately cool the kale down. This retains the vibrant green colour and flavour of the kale. Drain, squeeze out the water and also set aside.
Now make the dressing by combining all the ingredients in a clean empty jar and shake thoroughly till you get a glossy gorgeous dressing.
When the carrots are ready you can start to assemble the warm salad by lightly tossing the carrots, lentils, and kale with the dressing in a large bowl and sprinkling over the pomegranate seeds. Season a little more if necessary and feel that little bit warmer both inside and out.
Enjoy!