Warm lentil salad

Savory vegan salad with all kinds of goodies, perfect for winter

You will need:
1 cup green lentils (French Le Puy)
1 bay leaf
2-3 cloves of garlic
half cup quinoa
2 parsnips
4 small beetroots
1 head fennel
1 small red onion
3 tbsp sunflower seeds
3 tbsp pumpkin seeds
2 tbsp raisins
1/3 cup pomegranate
a handful of hazelnuts
2-3 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp of ground turmeric and cumin
1/2 tsp of cinnamon and coconut palm sugar
1 tsp balsamic vinegar
1-1 tbsp olive oil and hemp seed oil
coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper (to taste)

1. Boil the beetroots with skin on till tender. Peel and quarter up. Parboil the peeled parsnips. Halve them lengthwise then quarter up the thick end.

2. Line a large baking tray with baking paper. Arrange the beetroot and parsnip pieces. With a silicone brush apply a thin layer of oil. Season the parsnips with mixed cumin and turmeric, and the beetroot with mixed coconut palm sugar and cinnamon. Bake it in a preheated oven at 200 °C till the parsnips get nice browning here and there. Let it cool a bit.

3. Cook the lentils with the bay leaf and garlic in plenty of water. Gently simmer till done. Drain and keep warm.

4. Cook the quinoa with 1 cup of water. When it boils, cover with a lid and turn the heat to minimum and gently simmer till it absorbs all the liquid. Let in stand with the lid on.

5. Slice up the fennel and throw into a hot pan for 2-3 mins, just to get a nice colour. Set aside, keep it warm.

6. Roast the pumpkin seeds, then roast the sunflower seeds, finally roast the hazelnuts. Rub the roasted hazelnuts between you palm in a paper towel to remove the skin (it should come off easily).

7. In a big bowl combine lentils and quinoa. Add the roasted seeds, the hazelnuts and the raisins. Toss in the parsnips and beetroots. Add the fennel too and the thinly sliced red onion. Season generously with ground cumin, olive oil and hemp seed oil, a bit of balsamic vinegar, and salt and pepper to taste. Mix all together and serve still warm. Sprinkle with ruby pomegranate seeds. Enjoy!