Ecrasée de lentilles et carottes et courge butternut rôtie, sauce tahini

A clean and healthy meal to end the week…which I have to say has been kind and sweet. I am planning my trip to France with a few healthy recipes to bring along for my parents, and especially my mom who has diabetes. My parents who have been carnivorous all their life, have started to enjoy more of a vegetarian diet in their old days, so who’s to say people’s tastes don’t change.

I like to combine lentils with some vegetables and make it a balanced dish. The lentils and carrots are not really pureed, but have some texture, which is quite pleasant. This dish is fairly simple, with a few ingredients and spices. The tahini sauce enhances the whole dish and you need to use a lot of it.

For a vegan version, don’t use yogurt, and use more water in the tahini, it tends to thicken fast.

Ingredients for 2-3

For the lentil-carrot mash

  • 60 g uncooked lentils
  • 1 bay leave
  • 2 cloves
  • 1/4 onion
  • 1 tbs olive oil
  • 4 carrots, peeled and diced
  • 2 garlic cloves, crushed
  • 1 tsp cumin seeds
  • 1 tbs cilantro, chopped
  • 1 handful kale, chopped (optional)
  • salt and pepper

For the tahni sauce

  • 2 tbs tahini
  • 1 tbs water
  • 3 tbs plain yogurt
  • 1 garlic clove, crushed
  • zest of 1/2 Meyer lemon
  • 2 tbs Meyer lemon juice
  • salt and pepper

For the roasted squash

  • 2 cups butternut squash, cubed (1 inch)
  • olive oil
  • soy sauce

Preparation

For the lentil-carrot mash

Cook lentils in water with bay leaf, cloves, onion until tender but not mushy. Cook carrots separately. Heat olive oil in a pan, add carrots, 2 tbs broth and simmer until cooked. Adjust with salt and pepper. When carrots and lentils are cooked, mix them together and mash with a potato masher. In a pan, heat olive oil, toast cumin seeds until fragrant. Add garlic and stir for a few min, being careful not to burn the garlic. Add lentil-carrot mixture, stir well, then add kale and cilantro. Mix well to combine all ingredients and until kale is wilted. Keep warm.

For the tahini sauce

Combine all ingredients together in a bowl and mix well. If too thick add some water.

For the roasted squash

Heat oven at 400F. Place squash in a baking dish and sprinkle with olive oil, soy sauce, adjust with salt and pepper. Roast in the oven until all sides are golden brown but still firm.

Serve with lentil-carrot mash, squash and lots of tahini sauce, at least five times more of what you see on the picture!