Hot Honey Roasted Carrots and Lentils

by Susan Hanna

I recently purchased Evergreen Kitchen by Canadian recipe developer Bri Beaudoin and am loving it. The recipes are for weeknight vegetarian meals and they are hearty and delicious. The book also provides options for making the recipes vegan. We try to go vegetarian once or twice a week and these recipes are terrific. This carrot and lentil dish would also be a great side dish for meat, fish or poultry. Cook’s note: To make this dish more economical, use dried chickpeas and lentils. Soak ½ cup (125 ml) of dried chickpeas overnight in water, then drain, cover with water and cook until tender. Cook 2 cups (500 ml) of dried lentils in simmering water for 20-30 minutes. I omitted the lemon zest and juice and yogurt.

Serves 4.

Avoiding Additives and Preservatives

Make sure your butter does not contain colour and that the hot pepper flakes and dried spices do not contain colour or anti-caking agents. I used pure honey and Natural Value organic sriracha, which is additive free. Blue Menu chickpeas and lentils are additive free, as is President’s Choice Old-Fashioned Dijon mustard. No Name sliced almonds are free of preservatives. I used Tre Stelle feta, which has no artificial ingredients. Astro original Balkan-style yogurt is additive free. For more recipes using all-natural ingredients, visit Eye For a Recipe.

Ingredients:

Hot honey

• 3 tbsp (45 ml) honey
• 3 tbsp (45 ml) butter
• 1 tsp (5 ml) hot pepper flakes
• 1 tbsp (15 ml) hot sauce, such as sriracha

Roasted carrots and lentils

• 1 lb (454 g) carrots, peeled and cut diagonally ½-inch (1.25-cm) thick
• 1 can (14 oz/398 ml) chickpeas, drained, rinsed and patted dry
• ¾ tsp (3.75 ml) fine sea salt, divided
• 2 cans (19 fl oz/562 ml each) lentils, drained and rinsed
• 2 tbsp (30 ml) extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 tsp (10 ml) Dijon mustard
• 1 ½ tsp (7.5 ml) ground cumin
• ¼ tsp (1.25 ml) cinnamon
• ¼ cup (60 ml) minced fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves
• ¼ cup (60 ml) sliced almonds
• Zest and juice of half a lemon
• 1/3 cup (85 ml) crumbled feta cheese
• ½ cup (125 ml) plain Greek yogurt

Preparation:

1. Place an oven rack in the centre position and preheat to 425 F (220 C). Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. In a small saucepan, stir together the honey, butter, red pepper flakes and hot sauce over low heat. Once the butter is melted, cook, stirring occasionally, for another 5 minutes to let the flavours infuse.
3. Scatter the carrots and chickpeas on the prepared baking sheet. Drizzle with half of the honey and toss to coat Sprinkle with ½ tsp (2.5 ml) of the salt and toss to coat. Roast until the carrots are almost fork-tender but not yet fully cooked, 15 to 20 minutes.
4. In a 13 x 9-inch (33 x 22-cm/3.5 L) casserole dish, combine the lentils, olive oil, Dijon mustard, cumin, cinnamon and remaining ¼ tsp (1.25 ml) salt. Add the parsley and stir to mix.
5. Pile the carrots and chickpeas on top of the lentils. Drizzle with the remaining hot honey and sprinkle with the almonds. Bake until the lentils are warm, about 5 minutes. Garnish with the lemon zest, lemon juice, feta and dollops of yogurt.

From Evergreen Kitchen