Grilled carrot, fennel & lentil salad

Prep time 10 minutes Total time 70 minutes Serves 2 to 4

Here’s a hearty end of summer salad made of lentils, seasonal veggies and fruit. You can prepare the lentils ahead of time and keep them refrigerated until serving time, so it’s also a recipe that can come in quite handy on busy weeknights. Some of its components, like the grilled veggies and the lentils, can be served warm or chilled, so you can serve this salad pretty much the way you like!

 

-Marie des neiges Magnan

Ingrédients

Salad:

  • 1 cup organic black lentils from Genesis Food
  • 7 baby Nantes or baby leafy carrots from Jardins Glenorra
  • 1 purple eggplant (½ if quite large) Lufa Farms Laval
  • 2 fennel bulbs from Vallons Maraîchers
  • 2 tbsp. Chilean olive oil by Olive Pressée
  • a few sprigs thyme from Lufa Farms Ahuntsic
  • 1 bunch rainbow chard from Lufa Farms Anjou
  • 6 plums (yellow, blue, or Shiro) from Warner’s Farm
 
 
  • microgreens (your choice) Lufa Farms Ahuntsic
  • salt & pepper

Vinaigrette:

  • ¼ cup natural almond butter with chia seeds from Jardins la Palmeraie
  • 2 tbsp. red wine vinegar from Olive Pressée
  • 1 jar wild plums in syrup from Gourmet Sauvage
  • 1 crushed garlic clove from Bio-Saveur

Instructions

 
  • Wash lentils and cook 20 to 25 minutes in 2 cups salted water. Drain.
  • Preheat oven to 375°F.
  • Slice carrots lengthwise, cube eggplant, and slice fennel bulbs thinly. In a bowl, mix these with olive oil, thyme, salt, and pepper. Spread this mixture on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet and grill 40 to 55 minutes (depending on size of veggie pieces). Turn veggies over halfway through grilling. Remove from oven when cooked but still a bit crunchy. Let cool.

  • Prepare vinaigrette while veggies are grilling. In a bowl, mix almond butter, vinegar, 4 to 5 tbsp. wild plum syrup, garlic, and 4 finely chopped wild plums. If your vinaigrette thickens too much because of the chia seeds, just add a bit of water.
  • Remove pits and cut Shiro plums into small pieces. With your hands, tear rainbow chard into manageable pieces (if needed).
  • To serve, put some lentils at the bottom of your serving bowls, then add chard, grilled veggies, Shiro plums, and microgreens to pretty the whole thing up. Drizzle with vinaigrette if serving right away, or set aside if serving later.

Bon appétit!