Beluga Lentil, Red Kale, Purple Sweet Potato Salad

I’ve been thinking a lot about color and food lately. And by food and color I don’t mean food coloring, I mean the natural rainbow of colors our foods come in and what that signals to me as an eater. I typically assess a food’s health value based on how colorful it is. Therefore, when I feel my nutritional balance is off I try to focus not on ‘eating more healthfully’, which feels vague and lofty and brings to mind flavorless salads and brown rice, but on eating more colorfully. To me, color is fun. I look forward to colorful foods. And conveniently, naturally colorful foods are most often good nutritional providers. This salad is a great example of colorful, healthful food I look forward to taking out of the work fridge for lunch. Bright purple fleshed sweet potatoes tinged yellow with turmeric, deep black beluga lentils, and purple veined green leafed kale form the base of this dish with additional pops of color from shredded fresh green herbs and purple onion. A balance of colors and a nutritionally balanced meal! Enjoy!

Beluga Lentil, Red Kale, Purple Sweet Potato Salad

Serves 6 for lunch, more as a side dish 

Ingredients

2 sweet potatoes, preferably purple skinned, cut into ½ inch cubes

Pinch of turmeric

Olive oil

1 ½ cups dried beluga lentils

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 shallot, thinly sliced

1/2 cup red onion, small diced

1 bunch red kale, roughly chopped

1 Tbs Dijon mustard

2 Tbs olive oil

4 Tbs lemon juice

½ cup fresh basil or parsley, shredded

Preparation

First, toss your sweet potato with olive oil to coat and place in an even, single layer on a baking sheet or two. Sprinkle little with a bit of turmeric, then cover tightly with tin foil. Place in a cold oven on a middle rack, then turn your oven on to 400 and allow to cook for 15 minutes. After 15 minutes, remove the tin foil, stir the sweet potatoes and place back in the oven until the sweet potatoes are cooked and well caramelized.

While the sweet potatoes are roasting, cook your lentils, then drain and set aside.

Next, prepare your dressing. In a small bowl, whisk together 2 Tbs olive oil, lemon juice, Dijon mustard and fresh herbs. Set aside.

Finally, heat a splash of olive oil in a sauté pan or skillet over medium heat. Add your garlic, shallot and red onion, and cook a minute or two until fragrant. Add your kale and cook, stirring often, for a few minutes until your kale is slightly wilted but still retains its shape.

Toss all ingredients in a large bowl and serve warm or at room temperature

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