Roast kumara, eggplant and lentil salad with feta and pomegranate

This salad has been a staple for us this summer.  It's never quite the same each time I make it, usually because I forget to add something or find something else that might be a tasty addition.. But here's the basic gist anyway.  If you can't find fresh pomegranate you could soak dried cranberries in water till they've plumped up and use those instead.

1 large orange kumara chopped into 2cm cubes (sweet potato for those of you outside New Zealand!)

1 large eggplant, cubed

1 head garlic

Olive oil spray

Rocket, baby spinach or other salad greens

1/2 telegraph cucumber, cubed

1/2 can brown lentils, drained and rinsed

1/4 cup flat leaf parsley

Large handful mint leaves, roughly chopped

1/4 cup feta, crumbled (I usually just use half a block of reduced fat feta chopped up)

Seeds and juice from 1/2 pomegranate

Juice from 1 lemon

Salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 220c.  Place kumara and eggplant on a lined baking tray with the garlic and spray everything lightly with olive oil.  Roast veggies for about 30 minutes or until nice and golden.

Build the salad on a large, shallow dish or platter.  Start with greens, parsley and 3/4 of the mint (save the rest to garnish later) and then scatter roasted veggies and cucumber over the top, followed by the lentils.  Crumble your feta over the salad, sprinkle over pomegranate seeds and the rest of the mint.  Squeeze lemon juice over the whole salad and season with some salt and freshly ground pepper.  Yum!

Bacon, tomato and lentil soup

Taste tested by my boys, this is a really easy soup to warm you up on a rainy day.

splash vegetable or olive oil
2 - 4 slices bacon, chopped
1 onion, chopped
2 carrots, grated
1 tin chopped tomatoes
1 L salt reduced chicken stock
1 cup red lentils
Salt and pepper to taste
Greek yoghurt
Fresh parsley or coriander

Saute the bacon and onions in a large pot over a medium heat until the bacon is just cooked and onions clear.  Add grated carrot and cook until it softens, about 2 minutes.  Add tomatoes and stock, increase heat and bring to a simmer.  Reduce heat, add the lentils and allow to simmer for 20 minutes or so until the lentils are cooked and the soup has thickened.  Remove from heat and cool slightly before blending with a stick blender.  Return to the stove, season with salt and pepper and reheat when you're ready to serve with dollop of greek yoghurt and some fresh parsley or coriander. 

Cheesy carrots and Lentils (for babies!)

This is an Annabel Karmel recipe except it's not because I never have all the things she lists in the cupboard at the same time. Not to worry, it's yummy my way too.

1/4 onion (optional)
1/2 cup red lentils
2 carrots, sliced thinly
water or stock (salt free if you're using stock)

grated cheese

Saute the onion in a saucepan with some oil or butter till clear. Add the lentils and carrots and then cover with water or stock. You need about a centimetre of liquid a the top of the veges but you can just add more as it evaporates if needed. Let everything simmer for about 20 minutes or until the carrots are tender. Drain, reserving the cooking liquid. Use a stick blender to blend carrots & lentils with some of the cooking liquid. If you're doing this when it's still warm add grated cheese now and stir through.

Suitable for 6 months + and will freeze well!

In the original recipe, AK uses leek and tomatoes (deseeded tomatoes) so it makes more than this recipe. The amounts aren't that important, I usually use as many carrots as I have in the fridge and add more lentils if I have lots of carrots