VEGAN PROTEIN LENTIL SALAD + A COOKBOOK GIVEAWAY!
Hi everyone! Thank you for your patience during my Easter break, I really appreciate it. So much so that I've got some pretty cool stuff lined up for you this week. To say thank you for being the best tribe ever I've got an AMAZING vegan cookbook giveaway happening, a delicious protein rich vegan salad recipe to share with you AND a LIVE food blogger masterclass to tell you about too.
To say I'm excited is a total understatement and hence I'd love to kick off all the goodness by telling you a little bit more about the vegan cookbook - POWER PLATES - by 3-time cookbook author and vegan food blogger Gena Hamshaw which you can win this week. You ready?
SO WHAT'S THE COOKBOOK LIKE...
Can I just start off by saying that I really, really, really love this cookbook! I honestly believe POWER PLATES is a cookbook anyone eager to eat a vegan, nourishing, filling and balanced diet SHOULD have on their bookshelf. That's because Gena is a qualified nutritionist with many years experience of designing well thought out plant-based meals that taste great, are easy to make and totally accessible to novice vegans as well as established plant eaters. Sure there are some crowd pleasers in the book like pancakes and waffles, but both these recipes have a nourishing AND delicious twist that make them worth adding to your healthy breakfast routine.
HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE COOKBOOK INCLUDE...
I really feel POWER PLATES is a well thought out, clever recipe book so choosing a favourite was quite hard BUT, stand out recipes are the breakfast sweet potatoes, the roasted cauliflower salad, the curried tomato stew, the golden beet risotto and today's recipe the vegan masala lentil salad with cumin roasted veg.
What I love most though is that ALL the recipe feel doable and don't require obscure health food store ingredients. Sure, you're gonna have to stock up on your spices (garam masala, turmeric etc.) and get serious about your legumes (adzuki beans, green lentils, the works) , but if you're really committed to cooking your little heart out, I feel those are affordable purchases you'll use again and again.
A LITTLE SOMETHING EXTRA FOR YOU...
Gena Hamshaw will join me LIVE for an exclusive interview inside my creative community this Sunday, April 22nd at 7pm GMT/2pm EST. We'll be talking about how she became a food writer for Food 52, how she develops her cookbook recipes and lots more. If you'd like to join us for this mailing list exclusive, please be sure to join my community by signing up to the mailing list below.
WHAT YOU NEED TO DO TO WIN A COPY...
THIS COMPETITION IS NOW CLOSED! All you need to do for a chance to win the POWER PLATES cookbook is tell me: What question would you ask your favourite cookbook author if you could? Please be quick with your answers, entry to this giveaway closes at midnight (Greenwich Time) on Monday, April 23rd, 2018. The winner will be picked and notified within a week of the closing date.
Please note that this competition is open to US residents only. Therefore, I'd be super grateful if you can be clear when you comment whether you live in the US or not. And even if you don't, please still feel free to let me know what you're curious about. I may just ask Gena your question on the 22nd ;). CONGRATULATIONS ARYN, YOU'RE THE LUCKY WINNER!
Thanks for reading and see you all soon.
Recipe below :).
VEGAN PROTEIN LENTIL SALAD RECIPE
I changed the original recipe from Gena's POWER PLATES cookbook, roasting the onions and keeping the carrots raw instead of roasting the carrots and keeping the onions raw. That's because at The Little Plantation HQ we have a feisty 8-year-old who is very particular about how he eats his carrots (hint, raw only!). I also added some rainbow beets and radishes for visual effect, but these are total added extra and not necessary to make this recipe work.
In short, this vegan recipe is so adaptable that you can make little changes, like I did, and it still have it work! I hope you enjoy the salad as much as I did :).
Preparation time: 15 - 20 minutes
Cooking time: 20 - 25 minutes + cooking time for the lentils if using dry lentils
Makes: 4 servings of salad and 1/3 cup (80ml) of dressing
INGREDIENTS FOR THE SALAD:
3 red onions, peeled and cut into quarters
2 tbs of vegetable oil (I used rice bran oil)
1 tbs maple syrup
1.5 tsp ground cumin
salt and pepper to taste
1 cup (200g) dried beluga lentils OR 2 (425 g each) cans of canned beluga lentils, drained and rinsed
400g carrots, peeled and washed
2 cups (60g) firmly packed greens of your choice (I went with mixed leaves that included rocket, lamb's lettuce, baby spinach and beet leaves)
1 candy beet, washed, peeled and thinly sliced (optional)
10 radishes, washed and thinly sliced (optional)
1/3 cup (13g) chopped fresh mint leaves
INGREDIENTS FOR THE DRESSING:
3 tbs olive oil
1 garlic clove, pressed
1 tsp garam masala
2 tbs apple cider vinegar
1/2 tsp salt
INSTRUCTIONS:
Preheat the oven to 400F/200C and line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Put the onions in a large bowl. Drizzle with the oil and maple syrup, sprinkle with the cumin and toss until evenly coated. Transfer to the lined baking sheet, spreading evenly. Season with salt and pepper and bake for about 20 minutes or until the onions are soft and starting to brown around the edges.
Meanwhile, cook the lentils as outlined on the packaging or use pre-cooked/canned lentils, like I did.
Created carrot ribbons by using a potato peeler and then combine the carrot ribbons, candy beet, radishes, greens and lentils in a large bowl. Once cooled to room temperate, add the roasted onions too.
To make the dressing, combine the ingredients in a small bowl and whisk until combined.
Pour the dressing over the salad and toss gently until evenly combined. Taste and adjust the seasonings if desired. Add the fresh mint and serve immediately.
P.S. Don't forget to sign up to the mailing list below in order to enjoy the food blogger master class with Gema. Once subscribed please watch out for your confirmation e-mail with further instructions and add kimberly(at)thelittleplantation(dot)co(dot)uk to your e-mail contacts. If not my messages may end up in your spam box ;). Thank you :).