Chef notes
While traveling in Israel, a few years ago, I had an amazing farm-to-table experience with a vegetarian chef. One of my favorite dishes was a stone oven-roasted sweet potato smothered in lentils and topped with tahini. When I returned to the US, I tried my own twist on the dish, incorporating familiar Latin flavors. I decided to use black lentils because I love the way they make the other colors in the dish pop; a natural reminder to eat a "rainbow" every meal.
Swap options: For a lower carb dish use only half of sweet potato. For a heartier meal, serve with brown rice, couscous, quinoa or cauliflower rice.
Ingredients
- 5 small sweet potatoes (about 3 pounds)
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- 1/2 cup diced red onion
- 1 celery stalk, diced
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 cup black (beluga), red or green lentils
- 2 cups no salt-added vegetable stock, plus more as needed
- Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 3 tablespoons tahini
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 lemon, juiced
- 3 tablespoons chipotle sauce
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Preparation
For the sweet potatoes:
1.Preheat the oven to 400°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2.Wash the sweet potatoes, poke a few holes in them with a fork, and place them on the baking sheet. Bake in the oven until they are tender and can easily be pierced with a fork, 50-55 minutes.
3.To a large nonstick skillet over medium heat, add the olive oil, garlic, onion and celery. Cook until the onion begins to brown, about 3-5 minutes. Add the thyme and oregano to the skillet and cook for about 1 minute.
4.Add the lentils to the skillet, stirring to ensure that each lentil is coated with oil and seasoning.
5.Add the stock and bring to a light simmer. Stir occasionally and cook, partially covered, until the lentils are tender and the sauce is thick, 35-40 minutes. If you notice the liquid level getting very low at any point, add 1/4 to 1/3 cup of water. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
For the chipotle tahini:
Whisk together the tahini ingredients. Cover and set aside in the fridge. To make it thinner, add freshly squeezed lemon juice or water 1 tablespoon at a time until you reach the desired consistency.
To serve:
Slice open a baked sweet potato and fluff the flesh with a fork. Top with a serving of lentils, followed by a teaspoon or two of chipotle tahini. Garnish as desired.
