BELUGA LENTILS, GRILLED ASPARAGUS & TAHINI DRESSING
Tuesday 06.25.13 
i'm not sure if this is best served as a side dish or a meal. we ate it, happily i might add, as a dinner. but if we had chickens i might put an egg on top and i think that would take it to another level. {why don't we have chickens lou mora?!} well either way, egg or no egg, side dish or dinner, we loved it. and i think you will too. so give it a go, it's super easy! and beautiful to boot. not to mention that lentils are packed full of iron, protein and essential amino acids. in regular speak that means they're the business that keep you healthy, full of energy and looking good. you like that? yes, i thought so. eat up! xx- sarah
{more after the jump}
INGREDIENTS:
1 cup beluga lentils
1 bunch asparagus
5 large cloves garlic
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1/2 tablespoon rice vinegar
3-4 large lemons
4 tablespoons tahini
2 tablespoons maple syrup
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
sea salt and cracked black pepper
METHOD:
- rinse and clean the lentils, removing any debris
- in a medium pot combine the lentils, 1 1/2 cups of water , 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil and 3 cloves of crushed garlic. (as an aside, lou received this garlic press for his birthday and it might've been the greatest thing to ever happen to our kitchen since the vitamix. i'm obsessed with it)
- bring lentils to a boil for 2-3 minutes, reduce heat to low and simmer until they are soft (you want them to retain texture, so don't cook until mushy). stir a few times throughout cooking and add a tiny bit more water if needed.
- i used a grill pan to prepare the asparagus since it was a million degrees outside, but if you have access to a grill that's the best way to go! use grapeseed oil to coat the pan and grill asparagus until they've got grill marks but still have some of their crunch.
- while asparagus is grilling and lentils are cooking, make the dressing by combining the tahini with 1 tablespoon olive oil, 2 tablespoons maple syrup, 2 cloves of crushed garlic, 2 tablespoons fresh squeezed lemon juice, 2 table spoons white wine vinegar and salt to taste. add water one tablespoon at a time to achieve a consistency you're happy with!
- when the lentils are finished cooking, add 1/2 tablespoon rice vinegar and a couple good pinches of sea salt to taste
- serve the asparagus on a bed of lentils, squeeze 1/2 lemon over the plate, drizzle tahini dressing over top and finish with fresh cracked black pepper. enjoy while it's warm!
* this receipe feed 2 as a meal and makes enough dressing to have leftovers (we eat this dressing on salads and i love it with roasted veggies as well!)
beluga lentils, grilled asparagus, tahini dressing in Food 
Reader Comments (12)
Oh MAN that looks delicious! What a perfect summertime dinner. I think a fresh egg on top would make it the perfect amount of light yet filling! My mom has chickens, so we always have fresh eggs in the house. I'll definitely be asking my husband to make this, we just got 3 bunched of asparagus at the farmer's market this weekend!
Love it!
I have asparagus and homemade tahini sitting in my fridge... now just to find those yummy lentils.
I heard black rice is also chock full of goodness too!
xo
I'm always looking for variations on the many types of lentils -- belugas are one of my favorites and you add pretty much anything grilled on top and I'm sold!
this looks delicious. i'm loving lentils lately, they go with everything and such a healthy way to fill you up! thanks for sharing sarah xo
This looks amazing! I'm making it ASAP!!!
This looks amazing - and easy enough that even I could make it. I also have Crohn's, and lentils have always seemed to been iffy for me. Did you soak yours for a while before hand? I've heard that really helps.
thanks everyone! @mere- i love them and they've never done me wrong. :) and i don't soak them. but when i'm not feeling the best i make sure to chew thoroughly and let my saliva do a lot of the breakdown so that it doesn't have to happen as much in my belly, if that makes sense! i'll be posting more on this soon. :)
oh now i must have this with a perfectly soft fried egg on top, with that glorious orange yolk spilling out. yummmmmm!!!