AVOCADO, CARROT & ORANGE SALAD

This recipe is based on April Bloomfield's recipe. I was looking at her book (A girl and her pig) at a friend's house the other day and this salad recipe started screaming at me: "try me! try me!" Yes, sometimes books can talk. You should listen more carefully.

The lightly warm roasted carrots combine with orange, avocado and cilantro is perfect ! What a great way to eat something healthy yet tasty after a food feast made of caramel cookies and chocolate fondant, eh?

iNGREDiENTS:
-serve 3-

• 15 young carrots, unpeeled, half of the green tops left on
• 1 big orange
• 2 small avocados
• 2 garlic cloves, smashed and peeled
• 1/2 tsp cumin seeds, toasted and ground
• 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
• 1 tbs pumpkin seeds
• 4 tbsp olive oil
• juice of half a lemon
• Cilantro
• Salt

RECiPE:

• Preheat oven at 200°C (400°F)
• Clean and cut your carrots (like you would a lemon) leaving half of the green top on them.
• Pound garlic with a large pinch of salt until you have a smooth paste.
• In a bowl, stir: 2 tbsp olive oil + garlic paste + cumin + pepper flakes + pumpkin seeds.
• Place carrots in a large baking dish in a single layer. Add oil and spice mixture and stir. Add one large pinch of salt and toss again.
• Pour 2 tbsp of water into the baking dish.
• Cover tightly with foil and cook for 25 minutes.
• After 25 minutes, remove foil and cook for 35 minutes more or until carrots are lightly browned and tender.
• While carrots cool, peel orange and segment it.
• Halve avocados lengthwise and remove peel and pits. Slice them lengthwise into thick slices.
• Put the avocado slices in a large bowl. Add lemon juice + 2 tbsp oil + a pinch of salt. Toss gently with your hands.
• Add orange slices and cool carrots. Stir very gently and arrange with cilantro on top. Serve right away.
• ET VOiLA !

LENTiL SALAD

 

 

iNGREDiENTS:
- serve 5 -

• 250 gr of lentils
• 2 small carrots
• 1 big onion
• 1 tbsp chives (plus some more for decoration if you want)
• one bay leaf
• 1 tsp thyme
• 1 tsp sage
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tsp vinegar
• juice of one small lemon
• salt & pepper

RECiPE:

• Start by peeling the carrots and chop them in small pieces, like for a "brunoise": first into long thin strips and then turned a quarter turn and cut into small blocks again, producing cubes of about 3 mm or less on each side, or 1/8-inch dice.
• Peel and chop the onion.
• Rinse the lentils.
• Put one tablespoon of olive oil into a saucepan over medium hight heat.
• Add onions and carrots. Let them cook for 5 minutes.

• Add: bay leaf + thyme + sage + lentils + salt & pepper.
• Stir well and add a quantity of water equivalent to twice the high of the lentils. (about 2/3 cups of water)
• Bring to a boil and cook for 25 to 35 minutes.

• While it cooks, prepare the vinaigrette, with the olive oil + vinegar + lemon juice.

• When lentils are done cooking, drain them in a colander and leave them to cool completely.
• In a salad bol, mix: cold lentils + vinaigrette + sliced chives and salt & pepper if needed.
 
• Stir
• ET VOiLA !