Two times the Martha

I recently started subscribing to Everday Food magazine (Martha Stewart's food magazine). I've been a longtime fan for it's simple, short recipes highlighting fresh ingredients, because it provides a great place for ideas for my own recipe creation. This recipe is a mash-up of a recipe in this month's Everyday Food (I couldn't find it online) along with a recipe from Martha Stewart that I found online for rosemary lentils. Fun fact, I'd never prepared lentils before this and had rarely eaten them, but I loved it! so Martha, I owe you double thanks for this recipe.

Roasted Veggie and Rosemary Lentil Salad

3/4 pound red or fingerling potatoes, halved or quartered
4 medium-sized carrots, cut into 2-inch pieces
1 shallot, peeled and cut into 5-6 large pieces
1 tablespoon olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
2 sprigs rosemary, divided
1 cup dried green lentils
1 shallot, finely chopped
1 garlic clove, crushed
1 bay leaf
2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
6 ounces spinach
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
3 ounces goat cheese

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. On a large baking sheet, place potatoes, shallot and carrots. Finely chop the rosemary on one of the sprigs, reserving the other sprig. sprinkle over vegetables, season with salt and pepper and drizzle with olive oil; toss to combine. Place in oven and bake until vegetables are fork-tender and slightly charred, about 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, place lentils, shallots, garlic, rosemary, and bay leaf in a medium saucepan; cover with 5 cups of cold water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low. Partially cover, and simmer, stirring occasionally, until lentils are tender, about 15 - 20 minutes. Drain; discard garlic, rosemary stem, and bay leaf. Place in a large bowl and season with salt and pepper and drizzle with olive oil, stir to combine and set aside.

When vegetables are done, add to the large bowl with lentils. Toss in spinach and and balsamic vinegar and combine. Top with goat cheese and serve!

Fun bonus, Luke and I used leftovers to create a delicious pita for lunch. Love repurposing leftovers like that!

Vegan Day 3

Yesterday I was finally put to the test. We were offered free Annie's cafe for lunch at work, however there were no vegan options. I could've opted for a salad and asked for no meat, but I had already packed my Mardi Gras salad that I was looking forward to, so I went with that. Then, some sweet/evil colleagues ordered Tiff's Treats, which I again had to refuse. But, I felt like one tough cookie and not deprived at all, so I'll chock it up to a win.

One large component of my success yesterday was snacking on a KILLER olive tapenade I whipped up. So easy, yet so satisfying salty. Give it a try:

Olive Tapenade

1 cup pitted kalamata olives
1 tablespoon roasted garlic
2-3 tablespoons olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste

Pulse the olives and garlic in a good processor, then stream in olive oil to reach desired consistency. Season with salt and pepper and you're done!

I've been eating the tapenade with The Pioneer Woman's Olive Focaccia Bread, which is a favorite in our house.

For dinner, I had spotted Stetted's recipe for Indian-Spiced Mushrooms and Lentils a few weeks ago and knew I wanted to make it. She describes it as almost stew-like, and she's right! It was really satisfying. I didn't have any naan, so we ate some just with a fork and I tried some in a tortilla as well - pretty good! Also, I'd never prepared lentils before, so this was a fun experiment - they were easy! If you're looking to mix things up, definitely try this dish!