Culinary Guides

This is one of those salads that eats like a full meal. Roasted beets and onions, earthy lentils, and massaged kale come together under a creamy tahini dressing, with toasted hazelnuts for crunch. It is easy to put together, uses a lot of the garden at once, and the leftovers hold up beautifully.

Ingredients

For the salad

• 3 medium beets, quartered (greens removed and saved for another use)
• 1 medium yellow or red onion, sliced into 1/4 inch thick wedges
• 2 teaspoons dried thyme
• Pinch of crushed red pepper flakes
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Olive oil
• 1 cup green or brown lentils, rinsed and picked over
• 1 bay leaf
• 2 cloves garlic, peeled and left whole
• 1 bunch kale, torn into bite size pieces
• 1/4 cup hazelnuts

For the dressing

• 1/4 cup tahini
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
• 1 teaspoon dijon mustard
• 2 teaspoons honey
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 2 tablespoons water, plus more to thin as needed

Directions

1. Heat the oven to 425F (220C). Toss the quartered beets and sliced onions on a baking sheet with the thyme, red pepper flakes, salt, pepper, and a drizzle of olive oil. Roast until the beets are tender and the onions are golden and lightly crisp, 35 to 45 minutes, tossing halfway.
2. While they roast, add the lentils to a pot with 2 cups water, the bay leaf, and the whole garlic cloves. Bring to a boil, then simmer until the liquid is absorbed and the lentils are tender, 20 to 25 minutes. Discard the bay leaf and garlic.
3. In a large bowl, massage the torn kale with a little olive oil until it turns tender and deep green.
4. Toast the hazelnuts in a dry skillet over medium heat until lightly browned and fragrant, 3 to 5 minutes, then roughly chop.
5. Blend the tahini, olive oil, vinegar, mustard, honey, salt, pepper, and 2 tablespoons water until smooth. Add more water to thin to a pourable dressing.
6. Add the roasted beets and onions and half the lentils to the kale, and scatter the hazelnuts over the top.
7. Drizzle with half the dressing and toss, adding more lentils and dressing to taste. Serve with the extra dressing on the side.

Keep leftovers in an airtight container for up to 3 days. If you are making it ahead, hold the dressing separately and toss it in just before serving so the salad stays fresh.

Grower's tip: each beet seed is really a cluster that sends up several seedlings, so thin them to one plant every three to four inches or the roots stay small and crowded. And do not toss the tops you thin out or trim, the greens cook up like chard, which is exactly what this recipe sets them aside for.

Most of this bowl grows in one cool season garden. Sow a bed of beets for roots and greens, keep kale coming through the cold months, and grow a few onions to roast alongside them.