Sweet Potato and Lentil Salad

I'm trying very hard to make my carbohydrate dishes count as genuine nutrition.  This main dish salad is packed with protein, iron, and fiber, plus plenty of vitamins and minerals.  I decided to have this with a side of creamed spinach instead of jasmine rice.  Same carb count, but a much better choice.  In the good old days, I would have had both, plus the avocado chapati that I did have as a side because it's whole wheat.  I would have counted the salad as my protein and ignored that it's also carbohydrates.

Boring nutrition rant over.  I also liked that this recipe from Plant Based School leans Moroccan in flavor.  It isn't a specific international recipe, so I'm not giving it that designation.  I'm scaling it down to 4 generous servings and changing up the herbs a little to skew even more Moroccan.  I highly recommend you make a sprig of mint part of your herb mix.  It brightened up the salad so much!

If serving cold, this dish is a great do-ahead.  It will take about an hour if you're cooking the lentils, about 45 minutes from a can and only roasting the potatoes.  Then you would chill it at least 2 hours.  For hot, it's still going to take you that cooking time.

2/3 C green or brown lentils, or one 15 oz can
1 lb orange (red) sweet potatoes
1/4 olive oil, divided
2 Tb lemon juice
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tsp each cumin and paprika
3/4 C chopped fresh herbs like parsley, mint, cilantro, basil, oregano, etc
salt and pepper to taste
feta and chopped nuts for serving, optional

1.  If starting lentils from dry, sort and rinse.  In a saucepan, bring to a boil with water to cover by at least one inch.  Lower heat to a simmer and cook until tender, about 40 minutes.  Drain.  For canned, drain and rinse.

2.  Preheat oven to 400º and line a baking sheet with parchment for easy clean up.  Peel sweet potatoes and dice into 1" chunks.

3.  Toss diced potatoes in 1 Tb olive oil and a little salt and pepper, less than 1/2 tsp of each.  Spread in an even layer on baking sheet.

4.  Roast potatoes until soft and a little browned, about 20-25 minutes.  Set aside, since the lentils still won't be done.

5.  For the dressing, whisk together 3 Tb olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, cumin, paprika, and a dash of salt and pepper.  Taste and adjust seasonings, keeping in mind that lentils can taste a little muddy.

6.  Toss together potatoes, lentils, dressing, and about half the chopped herbs.  Transfer to serving dish. If  serving warm, top with remaining herbs, feta, and nuts and serve immediately.  For chilled, refrigerate at least 2 hours, then top with garnishes.

Serves 4-6

Difficulty rating  :)