Smoked lentil, garlic & Broccoli Salad, an Autumn warmer!

Autumn to winter this is a lunch special or a great side dish for an evening meal. There are some added optional twists here so you can very much adapt this salad to your likes.

1 x cup lentils

(1/2 finely chopped carrots, I x red onion, 2 x finely chopped sticks celery)

or

1 x vegetable stock cube

3 x cups water

1 x whole garlic - roasted

2 x tsp smoked Spanish sweet paprika

1/4 cup olive oil & 1 Tbsp melted butter

1 x head of broccoli

1/2 head cauliflower

Rock salt & pepper to taste

Cashews - toasted & optional

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Optional extras - cubed pumpkin & feta with baby spinach leaves or Mandarin & chorizo

Add some diced and boiled new potatoes, chopped fresh mint and a tickle of butter to any of the above to make a substantial dinner plate.

Method -

Firstly break down both the broccoli and Cauliflower into the small florets. Toss in your olive oil & butter, then roast in a hot oven, (200 deg) until the edges of the cauliflower are a golden brown. This can be as quick as 10 minuted so keep watch.

Place the vegetable stock in a pan with the 3 cups of water, add the lentils or, sauté off the stock veggies, and when softened add the lentils and then the water. Place the lid on the pan and leave to simmer for ten minutes. Remove the lid, add the smoked paprika, and stir the remaining lentils until the water has all been sucked up by the lentil mix. They should be soft but still have a little texture too them. Be careful not to over cook. Leave to cool.

Crush the cashew nuts, and add the cauliflower & broccoli to the lentils and carefully fold together.

​(If you are making of the optional extras, replace the cauliflower with the mandarin & chorizo, or the broccoli with the pumpkin and feta. )​

Bon App!!! ;-)