Friday, February 5, 2010

Carrot Ribbon Salad with Lentils, Yogurt and Whole Wheat Naan


Last weekend, I felt like I needed to eat very clean, whole foods because I ate out more during the week than usual. It's amazing how much better you feel in your body plus mind when you eat a clean, wholesome meal. This was full of bright flavors, both hearty and filling, but not heavy. It was my first time making Naan, and it turned out to be a great learning experience. I think I should have rolled out my Naan before putting them on the grill, but I just patted them out with my hands. I used a recipe here, but substituted 3 cups whole wheat pastry flour for 3 of the 4 cups of All-Purpose flour.

Carrot Ribbon Salad with Lentils, Yogurt and Whole Wheat Naan

Curry Spiced Lentils:
1 cup dried lentils, soaked for 8 hours
1/2 small yellow onion, minced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp. ground turmeric
1 tbsp. curry powder
1 cup vegetable stock
Salt and pepper

Carrot Ribbon Salad:
4 large carrots, peeled
1/2 red bell pepper
1 medium summer squash
1 medium zucchini
Juice and zest of 1 lemon
1 garlic clove, minced
Salt and pepper
2 tbsp. EVOO
1/4 cup cilantro, minced
1 tsp. ground cumin

Plain nonfat Greek Yogurt
Naan, homemade or store bought

Drain lentils, place in a small stock pot.
Add onion, garlic, turmeric, curry powder and stock.
Bring to a simmer, turn to low heat and cook for 1 hour, or until lentils are tender.
Season with salt and pepper.
*Add more stock as necessary if lentils dry out*

Slice red bell pepper very thin, place in the bottom of a steamer basket.
Peel thick ribbons of carrot, place on top of pepper.s
Peel thick ribbons of squash and zucchini, place on top of carrots.
Place steamer basket over boiling water, steam for 2-3 minutes, until vegetables are just al dente.
Remove from steam, set aside.
Add lemon, garlic, salt, pepper, EVOO, cilantro and cumin to a large bowl, whisk to combine.
Add vegetables, toss to coat. Refrigerate if desired, this can be served at any temperature.

Plate lentils, top with carrot salad, yogurt, and naan.
Garnish with extra chopped cilantro.

7 comments:

tasteofbeirut said...

This is just the kind of meal that I would go for! I could eat it every day of the week.

Sophie @ yumventures said...

I absolutely love this meal! Simple and delicious =) Great job with the naan!

Annalisa said...

I recently made some great chana masala with homemade naan.

This recipe was recommended to me:

http://www.manjulaskitchen.com/2007/05/22/naan-bread/

I think it needs some tweaking but it is a great start. Enjoy!

Joanne said...

I totally know what you mean! I always feel so much better after a healthy food detox. Eating out all the time just weighs you down (literally and figuratively). This meal looks great! I'm so impressed with the homemade naan. It's on my list of things to try,

NKP said...

Yup - I know what you mean about needing a foodie detox from time to time. Great looking meal - just the thing my (grown, veggie) daughter loves when she visits.

Shaheen said...

Ashlee,
That really is a fabulous looking plate of food. I love the carrot ribbon

Robyn said...

This looks delish but is there a way to do the lentils without soaking them? Maybe canned lentils? Also how would I cook the veggies without a steamer basket? Thanks!