Last Night I heard some dreaded words come out of Jedd’s mouth: “Ugh. I think I’m getting sick.”
No, no, no.
He works with big sharp tools for his woodworking, and I suddenly had visions of him impaling himself with a chisel after a particularly violent sneeze.
Or nearly as bad, Jedd having to miss a show that a friend of his is playing in Winooski. There’s something kind of sad about being around a disappointed sick person.
So, I got proactive. I heated him up some leftover soup and made him a hot toddy. Then I preheated the oven to make some roasted vegetables from the CSA shipment this week. As I chopped the vegetables it dawned on me that they would be great with lentils, and that together they could create a ridiculously healthy salad. And because we also have some homemade horseradish from my mother in the refrigerator, I was inspired to make a head-clearing vinaigrette.
I can’t guarantee that he’s cured, but after eating the salad he said he felt better.
Of course that could have just been the hot toddy talking.
Either way, I’ll put this salad in the “win” column.
Roasted Vegetable and Lentil Salad
Ingredients:
Olive oil
Salt and pepper
3 large carrots, cut into 2-inch pieces
2 large onions, quartered
1 small head of celeriac, cut into 2-inch pieces
3 medium purple potatoes, cut into 2-inch pieces
6 kale leaves, stripped from stalks and roughly chopped
1 teaspoon of chili flakes
2 cups of green lentils
4 cups of chicken broth
1/3 of a cup of olive oil
1 diced shallot
¼ cup of rice wine vinegar
2 tablespoons of dijon mustard
2 tablespoons of horseradish
Instructions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. On a large, rimmed cookie sheet, toss the carrots, celeriac, onions and potatoes with olive oil, salt and pepper. Roast for 15 minutes, then stir the vegetables. Bake for another 10 minutes or until lightly browned.
While the vegetables are in the oven, start the lentils. Place them in a colander and run cold water over them while picking through the lentils for loose debris. Add them to a medium sauce pan with the chicken stock and bring to a boil. Cover and turn the heat to low. Cook for 20-30 minutes or until tender.
In a small frying pan, saute the kale, olive oil, chili flakes, salt and pepper until cooked down to the consistency of cooked spinach. Set aside.
When the lentils are tender, drain any remaining liquid. Put the lentils back into a colander, and run cold water over them until completely cooled. Combine the lentils with the roasted vegetables and kale in a large bowl. Mix together the olive oil, shallot, vinegar and horseradish with salt and pepper to taste. Pour the vinaigrette over the salad.
Serve with a hot toddy. And be healthy.
Jedd also confirms that this makes a great lunch the next day.
(Photo by Launie Kettler)