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Garlic Roasted Vegetables with Lentils

Cruciferous vegetables are an absolute rock star of cancer fighting and something I eat EVERY. SINGLE. DAY. My favorite way as you might have already imagined is kale – but lately I’ve been trying to diversify.

Considering the research that has come in about these type of vegetables and their protection against cancer…and the fact that 41% of us are destined to have the disease – there should be a campaign on the evening news every single night screaming “EAT Cauliflower! EAT Broccoli!” and so on… but alas…. that’s not how our society works, is it?

Holistic medicine and alternative prevention doctors all agree – eat cruciferous vegetables everyday and add protection – if not actual removal of the cancer cells that may already be in our bodies.

So that’s why I’ve been making a fabulous dinner lately that consists of the following combination:

Cruciferous vegetable (Cauliflower, Brussel Sprouts, or Brocoli) + 1 Beet (any kind) + 1 whole garlic bulb + Tru Roots Sprouted Lentils

Pairing cancer fighting vegetables with blood cleansing beets with immunity and alkalinity building garlic with the abundant available protein in the sprouted lentils makes the whole dish ridiculously out of this world healthy.

All I do is throw the vegetables on a big sheet pan lined with parchment paper (mix with a bit of EVOO, salt, pepper, balsamic), roast for 30 mins or so and then top with lentils….. IT’s SO EASY.

I’ll have a different combo each time, so it doesn’t get boring…brussels sprouts are my husband’s favorite. And if I have random vegetables laying around, sometimes I’ll throw those in too…

But wait – you might be thinking – you have to peel a whole garlic clove?  That takes time…. no, actually it doesn’t – if you do this trick:

Wrap a whole garlic clove in a kitchen towel, twist to secure and beat the garlic on your counter 3-5 times and magically all the cloves are separated with peel removed like MAGIC. Takes about 5 secs! Oh yeah.

If I am feeling fancy – sometimes I’ll top off the dish with avocado and paprika, or cayenne or some sheep’s milk feta…


Garlic Roasted Vegetables with Lentils
 
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
 
Author:
Serves: 2 - 3
Ingredients
  • 1 large beet – any color you like – peeled and chopped into cubes
  • 4 cups of cruciferous vegetables like cauliflower, brussel sprouts, and/or broccoli
  • 1 large garlic bulb, broken up into cloves and peeled (see trick above)
  • ¼ tsp sea salt
  • black pepper to taste
  • 2 tsp extra virgin olive oil or coconut oil
  • 1 cup Tru Roots Sprouted Lentils cooked to package instructions (takes about 5 mins)
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees
  2. If using cauliflower, break it up into florets or if using brussel sprouts cut stems off and cut in half
  3. Toss all vegetables and whole garlic cloves with seasonings and oil
  4. Place vegetables on large sheet pan (Tip: cover the pan with parchment paper to make it easy for clean up)
  5. Roast vegetables for 20 mins and stir, then roast for another 15 mins or until vegetables are golden brown on the edges.
  6. While vegetables are roasting – this is a good time to make the lentils
  7. Serve lentils over a big plate of roasted vegetables

 

This is a simple dish that might seem obvious to make, but sometimes you need a little kick in the butt reminder to eat vegetables…. this is one of the recipes that I shared with the folks in Pickens, MS to encourage them to add more vegetables to their diet. I hope this recipe makes it easier to keep veggies going strong in yours too!

Bon Appétit!

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44 responses to “Garlic Roasted Vegetables with Lentils

  1. would “regular” lentils work? or is the sprouting thing make it different? I’ve never had lentils before, but bought a bag recently…

  2. This looks GREAT! thanks for sharing! This is easy enough even I can make it! and I LOVE brussels sprouts 🙂 LOVE your blog — thank you for the amazing tips and recipes!!!!

  3. Where do you buy the try roots sprouted lentils? New to all this. Eartfare doesn’t sell them.

    Thanks!

  4. What do you think about all the research/studies about legumes (lentils) that say legumes contain phytoestrogens that can dis-regulate hormones including reproductive?

  5. Where can I get Tru Roots Sprouted Lentils? I live in the EAST BAY part of San Francisco Bay Area.
    I’ve never heard of this kind of lentils.

  6. I love roasted veggies. A great way to make them in a rush is to pop them in the toaster oven on the same temp. Just keep an eye out because the oven is smaller and veggies can burn. Also, I’ve tossed kale with EVOO and sea salt for a crunchy “popcorn” like taste!

  7. Love this recipe, so glad you posted it. I’ve never seen “sprouted lentils” but will look for them..maybe Trader Joe’s has them. So glad I discovered your site.

  8. I have read that higher temps reduces the nutrients in vegetables so at 400 degrees in an oven for 35 minutes would have much less nutrients than lightly steamed. I will admit the recipe you have here sounds tempting but I am all for max nutrients from my food.

    1. Two things are happening here nutrient wise. 1. Raw veggies have nutrients that are bioavailable, but in addition, others that are released only when heated. 2. Heating destroys some of the raw state nutrients, but makes others boiavailable. Steaming is one way, and convection is another. Steam is a denser heat than convective air, so 15 mins of steaming is relatively close to 30 mins of oven time.
      Roasted foods activate more taste sensations than steamed foods, and fried foods activate more taste than roasted. In addition, frying lends itself to nutritional flavoring through the use of spices and herbs better than any other form of heating, and I believe as as a chef and nutritionist, it is the healthiest way to heat food.
      However, two major requirements must be met. First, never use vegetable or plastic oils ( margarine and shortenings.) Use only fruit oils, butter, or lard. And second, it is important g is not to let it smoke. A smoking oil is oxidizing and is bad for you.
      Extra virgin olive oil 33-250 (all temps in degrees fahrenheight)
      Coconut oil, butter, lard 251-350
      Grape seed oil, avocado oil 351-450

  9. Love roasted cauliflower. The beets will be a great addition. I’ll probably throw a little chopped Habanero or Bhut Jolokia with the balsamic before roasting. Yum!

  10. i was so excited when i saw this post pop-up in my email this morning, that i made it for lunch today!
    It was delicious, but I do have a question–it’s probably silly: is there anything i can sub for the beet? i used a red beet today in hopes that my palate would accept it, but unfortunately i wasn’t much of a fan –i was able to eat it all just knowing the nutritious benefit i was receiving, but don’t know that i could do it again… is there another powerful veggie to sub in it’s place? (maybe the other colored beets are different?)
    ps love the garlic trick, it worked! { not that i ever thought it wouldn’t 😉 }

    1. Hi Rachel, If you don’t like beets, no problem, just leave them out. Or you could use sweet potato, carrot, butternut squash…so many veggies are great cooked this way. Good luck!

  11. I can’t wait to try this! I was at Von’s the other night (they are really stepping up their organic, whole foods section) and they had bags of Tru Roots Sprouted Lentils for $2 each!!! I bought all the bags they had! 🙂

  12. bought some beets at my local farmers market so iam glad you posted this recipe…i will be making this tonight.
    and the spicy Kale soup….its delicious!!
    THank YoU

  13. Delicious. Couldn’t find the lentils. No surprise where I live. Wanted this dish tonight, so I used fresh chick peas (Turkish brand I cooked myself, not out of a can) instead of the lentils. Was great! Was a big hit with my husband and 18 month old. We prefer a little more spice, so I added some cumin. And squeezed fresh lemon over the dish when served. Thanks! Next time I will order the lentils from Amazon!

  14. I made this the other day and I have to say, I’m loving it! It’s also the first time I’ve ever had beets 🙂 It’s made a fantastic last minute lunch for the last two days due to leftovers. I’m glad that your recipe inspired me to step out of my comfort zone with veggies.

    1. Hi Kimberly, so glad you tried beets and liked them. Man, I love beets! Wish I had some right now!

  15. We only roast our veggies…love them! You don’t even need to go to the bother of wrapping your garlic in a hand towel. Just throw the individual cloves of garlic, shell and all, into the mix of veggies. When all is finished cooking, they squeeze right out and taste like carmelized sweetness. I learned this lovely trick from my two favorite Brit Chefs Nigella Lawson and Jamie Oliver.

  16. I made this for the first time tonight. SO GOOD!! Served everything over jasmine brown rice. I will probably be making this at least once a week. THANK YOU!!

  17. Sounds delicious! But you should not be roasting with EVOO!!! Use avocado or grapeseed oil – olive oil is not a high temp oil and carcinogenic when heated

    1. Okay, nevermind, I see now that is for a pack of 6 – 10 oz bags so @ $27 it’s $4.50/bag… does anyone else think that is a bit pricey?

  18. Hi!

    That sounds so tasty and good for your body. We will try it next week!
    I work at an organic store and just wanted to mention that parchments for oven use are lined with alot of nasty stuff. If i were u Id throw mine out.
    Lots of love for your brilliant posts.

  19. love the garlic bulb breaking tip! the cloth towel caught the messiness of the loosened skins and held the smell of the slightly bruised pieces. so, I tweaked it by placing in double paper towel so as to throw the mess left behind away.

  20. I clean and roast carrots (Tri-color) and Beet slices or wedges in the oven after coating in either melted down (liquid) coconut oil or grapeseed Oil, with fresh ground rosemary and cardamom seed, coriander, nutmeg, and cinnamon. I roast on 400 degrees for about 15 minutes depending on the size of the veg pieces. Brussels sprouts work well, too, and the colors are a very good presentation.

  21. Crucifers everyday? Not if one has thyroid issues. Cooking does reduce the goitrogenic properties, but EVERYDAY would be asking for trouble.

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