15 | 55 | 556 |
Ingredients | Minutes | Calories |
Prep | Cook | Servings |
10 min | 45 min | 4 |
1 cup | Green lentils, raw (rinsed and drained) |
3 cup | Water, filtered |
1 cup | Millet, dry (rinsed and drained) |
2 cup | Water, filtered (or vegetable broth) |
2 medium | Zucchini (sliced) |
1 tbsp | Extra virgin olive oil |
1 pinch | Salt and pepper |
2 cup | Spinach |
1/2 avocado(s) | Avocado (for the pesto) |
1 cup | Basil, fresh (for the pesto) |
3 tbsp | Extra virgin olive oil (for the pesto) |
1 clove(s) | Garlic (for the pesto) |
2 tbsp | Lemon juice (for the pesto) |
1/4 tsp | Sea salt (to taste; for the pesto) |
1/4 cup | Water (for the pesto) |
1. Add lentils to a medium pot along with of water. Bring to a low boil and then reduce heat to low-medium and simmer uncovered for 25-40 minutes. When lentils are tender, remove from heat and drain water if necessary.
2. At the same time, cook the millet. Rinse and drain in a fine mesh sieve and add to a medium pot. Add water (or vegetable broth), bring to a low boil, and reduce heat to low-medium. Cover with tight fitting lid and simmer for about 20-25 minutes or until the water has been absorbed. Remove from heat and leave lid on to steam for another 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork.
3. Meanwhile, sauté the zucchini in a skillet with a bit of oil, salt, and pepper for about 5-10 minutes, or until much of the water has cooked off. Add a few handfuls of spinach into the skillet and cook until wilted.
4. To prepare the pesto, add avocado, basil, olive oil, garlic, lemon juice, salt and water into a food processor and process until smooth, stopping to scrape down the bowl as necessary. Adjust salt to taste.
5. To assemble, toss the millet and lentils together in one pot and season with salt and pepper. Portion onto plates followed by the zucchini and spinach mixture. Spoon on a generous amount of pesto and serve!
Quick Tip:
Soaking
You don't have to pre-soak lentils before cooking, however lentils like beans have some anti-nutrients that are greatly reduced when cooked. Soaking further reduces those anti-nutrients as well as makes lentils easier to digest. You can choose to pre-soak lentils overnight for this purpose.
Nutritional Highlights:
Lentils
A heart healthy legume high in plant-based protein, fiber, B vitamins and iron.
Grain | 1.1 |
Meat Alternative | 1.3 |
Vegetables | 3.1 |