Did you learn to cook anything new last year? Among many discoveries, I found that roasted radishes are a revelation. A delicious and fantastic complement to carrots, can't believe I have never tried them roasted before. [Ed. note: Calling the proper authorities, this has to be a violation of some kind.]

If you're not a fan of lentils, make the roasted carrots and radishes with tahini sauce. You won't be sorry. It makes a wonderful lunch, side or main course.
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​NOTE: I'm relying more and more on Trader Joe's pre-steamed lentils, usually located with the fresh produce. It's such a time saver and the lentils are firm, yet tender, which is exactly what you want. If you want to make lentils from scratch, I have included instructions below.

PS: Last year we got a little tipsy on this citrus champagne bundt cake (www.moveablefeast.me/blog/citrus-champagne-bundt-cake) and recovered nicely thanks to this ginger turmeric detox broth (www.moveablefeast.me/blog/ginger-turmeric-detox-broth).

Adapted from: A Beautiful Plate
Number of servings: approximately 4

Ingredients
Lentils

• 1 cup dried French green Le Puy lentils, sorted (or 1 package pre-cooked Trader Joe's lentils)
• 3 cups water
• 1 small yellow onion, cut into quarters
• 2 cloves of garlic, smashed, divided
• 1 dried bay leaf
• ¾ teaspoon kosher sea salt
• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

Carrots & Radishes

• 2 bunches of rainbow carrots (8-10 medium carrots), scrubbed well and trimmed (leafy stem tops cleaned well and reserved for garnish)
• 7-8 red radishes, stems trimmed and scrubbed well, divided
• 5-6 garlic cloves, skin-on
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1 teaspoon kosher sea salt
• ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• ¼ of a red onion, very thinly sliced

Tahini Dressing

• ¼ cup tahini paste
• 3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
• ½ teaspoon kosher sea salt
• ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 3–4 tablespoons warm water (depending on thickness of tahini paste)

Directions
Lentils

1. Use your favorite pre-cooked lentils or place the dried lentils in a medium saucepan. Cover with cold water and allow lentils to soak for one hour.
2. Drain the lentils and  return to the same saucepan. Add 3 cups of water, the quartered onion, smashed garlic, bay leaf, and ¾ teaspoon salt. Bring lentils to a boil, reduce the heat to  simmer, and cook lentils for 25-30 minutes, or until tender.
3. Drain in a fine-meshed sieve and discard the onion, garlic, and bay leaf. Place in a large serving bowl to cool. Toss with a tablespoon of olive oil.

Carrots & Radishes

1. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 425 °F. Slice the carrots into ½-inch rounds (the skinny ends can be left in larger chunks; try to keep the carrots as consistently sized as possible) and cut the radishes into quarters (reserving one radish for garnishing).
2. Place carrots and radishes on a large sheet pan, along with the garlic cloves (leave the skin on), and toss with the 2 tablespoons of olive oil, 1 teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper.
3. Roast for 20-30 minutes, tossing the vegetables every 10 minutes or so, or until carrots and radishes are caramelized and tender. Remove the roasted garlic cloves from their skin (discard the skin, but keep the cloves) and allow vegetables to cool to room temperature. [Ed. note: ROOM TEMPERATURE] Add the roasted vegetables and garlic to the cooked lentils, along with the sliced red onion, and toss gently to combine. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
   

Tahini Dressing

1. In a small bowl, whisk together the tahini paste, lemon juice, salt, and pepper. It should be thick. Add 3-4 tablespoons of hot water (depending on your brand of tahini paste, you might need more or less to achieve the right consistency) and gently whisk until smooth. It should have the consistency of a thick salad dressing, able to drizzle easily from a spoon.
2. Using a mandolin or sharp knife, cut the remaining radish into very thin slices. Roughly chop some of the reserved leafy stem tops of the carrots, roughly ¼ cup or so.
3. Garnish the salad with the sliced radish and chopped carrot stem tops. Drizzle with the tahini dressing and serve at room temperature. [Ed. note: R-O-O-O-O-M TEMPERATURE] This salad makes great leftovers and can be served cold from the fridge.

Over the years (I started making this about ten years ago), many clients have grown to love this lentil salad. One of them orders it practically every single week. No wonder.

So easy to make, it's an extremely versatile side dish, and by itself as a main course it's straight-up vegan. The BF loves it, but he needs another protein, so I like to add soft-boiled or poached eggs, and/or chicken sausage (pictured above). Easy to pack for on-the-go sojourns, the dish can be served cold, warm, or at room temperature, and it even tastes better the next day.

I cook fresh lentils all the time, but have to say a terrific hack and time saver is to use Trader Joe's steamed lentils, which are found in their fresh produce section. They're delicious and have a firm texture, which is key to this salad.

This one is a perfect summer dish, and unlike most of these blog recipes, isn't an adaptation–it's wholly original. Feel free to make subsitutions, i.e., substitute parsnip for carrot, dill for parsley, and if you don't like fennel, use only celery. Make it your own.

Number of servings: 4

Ingredients
Lentils

• 1 cup French green–also known as "Puy"–lentils, picked over and rinsed (one package of Trader Joe's lentils was used here)
• 3 cups water
• 1 Turkish bay leaf
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• ½ yellow onion, finely chopped
• 1 small fennel, cored, ends and stem trimmed and finely chopped
• 1 celery stalk, finely diced
• 1 medium carrot, finely diced
• 1 teaspoon thyme, chopped
• 2 tablespoons Italian parsley, finely chopped

Vinaigrette

• ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1 shallot, minced
• 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• ½ tablespoon Dijon mustard
• Salt & pepper to taste

Optional Toppings

• Goat cheese, feta
• Bacon, salami, chicken sausage, salmon
• Soft,or hard boiled eggs, poached egg
• Cornichons, tomatoes
• Radishes, watermelon radish

Directions

1. In a medium saucepan, bring lentils, water and bay leaf to a boil over medium high heat. Reduce heat and simmer, covered, until almost tender (about 15 minutes). Do not over cook. Stir in ½ teaspoon salt and simmer covered for about 3 minutes, until tender but not falling apart or mushy.  Drain in a colander or sieve and discard bay leaf.
2. While lentils are simmering, heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a 12-inch skillet over medium low heat.  Add onion, fennel, celery, thyme, salt and cook, stirring occasionally until vegetables are softened, about 5 minutes. Add carrots and cook just until al dente.
3. Meanwhile, make the vinaigrette. In a large mixing bowl, whisk ½ tablespoon Dijon mustard, 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar and minced shallot. Add ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil and whisk to emulsify. Add salt and pepper to taste.
4. Place warm lentils into bowl with the vinaigrette and gently toss to coat (do not mash the lentils). Add cooked vegetables and gently toss to incorporate. Add chopped parsley and toss.

NOTE: If using Trader Joe's steamed lentils, take out of box, make three slits in the plastic. Place on plate and microwave for approx 45 seconds.