We had one of the Kidlet's friends over for dinner the other day. I made mac & cheese because I figured that tends to be a crowd-pleaser with this age group. But I wanted to make sure we had some actual food groups too. Which is where this indredible salad comes in. It is delicious! And pretty easy to make as well. And between the lentils, kale, and carrots, you feel like you're getting some actual nutrition as well.

This is definitely a new favourite for me and I will have to make sure to keep it in mind the next time I need a vegetable side for a meal. TF and TM both really liked it as well. The Kidlet was less enthusiastic, but she ate hers. And really, it's hard to get much traction with anything else with her when there's also mac & cheese on the table. So, under the circumstances, I'd rate this as a success all 'round!

Warm Lentil & Kale Salad with Bacon

Slightly adapted from Dish of the Day by Kate McMillan

Ingredients

• 6 carrots, peeled and chopped
• 2 Tbsp. olive oil, divided
• 1/2 tsp. coarse sea salt, ground
• 1/4 tsp. black peppercorns, ground
• 1 large red onion, halved and sliced
• 4-5 cloves garlic
• 1/4 tsp. dried thyme
• 1 c. brown lentils
• 3 c. chicken stock¹
• 1 large bunch black kale, ribs removed and thinly sliced
• 6 slices bacon², cooked and chopped
• 1 Tbsp. red wine vinegar³

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 200°C (400°F).
2. Toss the carrots with 1 Tbsp. of the oil and the salt and pepper and spread into an even layer on a baking sheet.
3. Roast for 15-20 minutes, turning/stirring twice. Remove from oven and set aside.
4. Meanwhile, heat the remaining 1 Tbsp. of oil over medium heat.
5. Add the onion and cook until softened and beginning to caramelize (10-15 minutes). Remove from heat and set aside.
6. Combine the garlic, thyme, lentils, and chicken stock and bring to a boil.
7. Reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes.
8. Add kale and continue cooking until lentils are tender (~5 minutes longer). Drain and set aside.
9. Combine carrots, onions, lentil-kale mixture, and bacon in a large bowl.
10. Add vinegar, season to taste with salt and pepper, and stir to combine.
11. Serve warm.

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Variations

Vegan Version

Ingredients

• 6 carrots, peeled and chopped
• 2 Tbsp. olive oil, divided
• 1/2 tsp. coarse sea salt, ground
• 1/4 tsp. black peppercorns, ground
• 1 large red onion, halved and sliced
• 4-5 cloves garlic
• 1/4 tsp. dried thyme
• 1 c. brown lentils
• 3 c. vegetable stock
• 1 large bunch black kale, ribs removed and thinly sliced
• 6 smokey tempeh, cooked and chopped
• 1 Tbsp. red wine vinegar

¹ The original recipe called for 4 c. of chicken stock and that's what I used, but there was quite a bit of excess liquid at the end of cooking. I think next time I'd try it with only 3 c. of stock and see how that worked. ^Back
2 I ended up using chicken bacon when I made this and I really like how it came out. Feel free to use regular streaky/pork bacon if you like, but I can vouch for the results with chicken bacon and it's probably a bit healthier that way too. I also think tempeh could work well here and, if you swapped out the chicken stock for vegetable stock, would be a nice way to convert this into a vegetarian dish. ^Back
3 The original recipe only called for 1 tsp. of sherry vinegar, but I only had red wine vinegar and then got mixed up and put 1 Tbsp. instead of 1 tsp. Upon tasting it though, I actually quite like it that way! The extra acidity from the vinegar is quite nice and really makes the other flavours pop, so I think I'll be making it this way from now on. ^Back