This salad is so perfect for summer as it doesn't heat the kitchen up as I use precooked beetroots instead of fresh ones that need roasting. These beetroots are such a great thing to have on hand and makes preparing this dish so much faster. The beetroots provide nitrates which are great for lowering blood pressure. The leek and lentils are loaded with prebiotics and resistant starch that feed our gut bacteria and make us healthier. And the extra virgin olive oil and macadamia nuts are great for heart health. 

 

This dish is lovely as lunch served with a piece of rustic sourdough on the side. The flavours in this dish all work really well together with the dill giving it a nice fresh taste. The macadamia cream is my vegan version of greek yoghurt or sour cream. It is so delicious and creamy you won't notice there is no dairy in there.  

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For The Salad

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Ingredients:

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• 1 cup of dried small black beluga lentils

• 1 leek (white and light green parts only), quartered lengthwise and sliced thinly crosswise

• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

• 1 packet of precooked baby beetroot (I use Lovebeets brand)

• 2 tablespoons drained capers

• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill

 

Directions

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1. Rinse lentils. Place lentils in a small pot and cover with water. Boil 20-25 minutes until tender. Drain and place in a medium bowl.

2. Cook the leek in olive oil in a small pan over moderate heat, stirring frequently, for 20 minutes, or until golden brown. You can add 1 tablespoon of water half way through if it looks too dry. Add to lentils in bowl.

3. Quarter beets and add to bowl.

4. Add capers and dill.

5. Carefully stir everything together to evenly distribute ingredients.

6. Top with macadamia cream drizzled on top,

 

For the Macadamia Cream

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Ingredients:

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• 1 cup macadamia nuts raw

• 1/2 tsp salt

• juice of 1/2 a lemon

• 1 shallot (spring onion) white part only, roughly chopped

• 3/4 cup of water

 

Directions

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Soak nuts in a bowl covered with water over night (or at least 4 hours) if you don't have a high speed blender. (If you have a high speed blender you can omit this step) Drain. In a blender mix the nuts, salt, lemon juice, and shallot and mix well. Slowly pour in water with the motor running. Mix on high for 1 minute until mixture is creamy.