Roasted Beets and Savory Lentils On a Bed of Greens

I made this scrumptious dinner last weekend; a nice warm dish of roasted beets and savory lentils on a bed of steamed kale. I wanted to work with ingredients we already had in the house, but I also wanted to try cooking something I hadn't made before. I noticed we had some beets in the refrigerator and also plenty of dried lentils, so I decided to look for recipes that combine the two. My inspiration for pairing these two ingredients came from a salad the Co-op deli sometimes has on the salad bar (props for the inspiration!). Imagine my surprise when I searched for "beets and lentils" and found that this is a classic pairing and there are tons of recipes to choose from. As usual, I took elements from several recipes to come up with my finished dish, but the bulk of this recipe comes from Scaling Back, a blog I discovered during my recipe searching. I hope you enjoy it. If you haven't cooked with beets much before, keep in mind that roasting time can vary quite a bit depending on the age of the beets and the variety you are using. My beets took a lot longer than the time called for in the original recipe. I'd say after about 45 minutes, it's a good idea to check them, and then keep checking every 10 minutes or so until they are done.

Roasted Beets and Savory Lentils On a Bed of Greens
serves 4 generously
For the beets:

2 large beets

1 large onion

½ teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

1 tablespoon honey, agave, or maple syrup

zest and juice of one orange

For the lentils:

1 cup small green lentils

½ teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

1 Tbsp fresh rosemay, minced

2 large bunch Italian kale, steamed (if you are only serving 2 people, just use one bunch of kale. You will have lots of leftover beets and lentils, but you can take them for lunch- see note below)

For topping (optional but good)

Toasted pecans, chopped

Feta, crumbled

Pre-heat the oven to 400 degrees.  Cut off the roots and tops of the beets and peel the beets. Cut the beets into bite-sized pieces. Slice the onion into strips.

Place the beets and onions in a glass baking dish and toss with the olive oil, balsamic vinegar, liquid sweetner, zest, orange juice and salt. Roast the beets for 45-70 minutes until the beets are tender when pierced with a knife.  If your beets take a little longer to roast, the onions may get a little crispy, but don't worry, they'll taste great!

While the beets are roasting prepare the lentils.  Cover the lentils with water, add the salt and bring to a boil.  Reduce to a simmer and cook uncovered 15-20 minutes until the lentils are tender.  Drain the lentils, return to the pan and stir in the balsamic vinegar, olive oil, and rosemary.

Steam the kale (mine took about 7 minutes).

When the beets are done, divide the kale between 4 plates. Top greens with lentils, then beets, then top with pecans and feta if desired. Serve. Mmmmmmm.

Note: I also took this for lunch a few days later and ate it wrapped in a tortilla, which was equally delicious.