Butternut Squash & Lentil Bowl with Cinnamon Tahini Dressing
5 from 1 vote
That Vegan Nephew
Sweet and toasty butternut squash, fresh out of the oven, sits alongside a bed of meaty puy lentils and crunchy peppers, dressed in a lightly zippy mandarin orange juice. And drizzled elegantly over all of that is a beautifully simple but profoundly creamy cinnamon tahini dressing, which ties all the elements together and invites you to dig into this bowl fork first.
Begin by cutting a medium to large butternut squash in half. Deseed the squash, and then quarter each half so that you have eight even sections. Rub the sections with some olive oil, salt and pepper until well seasoned, and then roast them in the oven skin side down on a baking sheet for about an hour at 375°F (190°C), or until tender when poked with a fork.
Meanwhile, prepare the puy lentils (french black lentils) by scattering them across a paper towel and picking through them to ensure there are no rocks or detritus among the legumes. After that, rinse them and then drop in boiling water at a steady simmer in a medium pot for about 12 - 14 minutes, until tender but still a little firm.
Once the lentils are done, add them to a medium bowl along with the red bell pepper, parsley, mandarin orange sections, mandarin orange juice, red wine vinegar and chili powder. Mix well.
In a small bowl, combine all the tahini dressing ingredient together, and adjust consistency by adding more warm water to it for increased thinness.
Once the butternut squash are tender, remove them from the oven, and begin assembling the bowl. Lay down a base of the puy lentil salad, followed by some butternut squash sections (with skin on or off - up to you), and then a drizzle of cinnamon tahini dressing.