roasted broccoli with radicchio, crunchy paprika lentils, and sunflower seed dressing

Funny, but all of a sudden I had a convergence of recipes lined up to try and they all ended up being amazing in their own right and somehow all came together in one bowl.  I love how that works out!!

Also, along with this yummy salad, I would love to introduce you to Ashley over at Edible Perspective.  Her recipes are amazing, her photos are delicious and I love reading what she’s up to – be it hiking with her doggies or playing in the kitchen or taking some really amazing photos.  Her lentil recipe was the icing on my broccoli cake, so to speak.  I was thinking about something crunchy to add to the top when I came across her crispy roasted lentils and that was it!

roasted broccoli with radicchio, crunchy paprika lentils, and sunflower seed dressing

serves four

1 head of broccoli, cut into quarters and then cut on a bias

1 head of radicchio, cut into quarters and then each quarter cut into thin strips

1/4 cup of dried cranberries, chopped

1/2 medium shallot, sliced thinly into rings

2 tbsp olive oil

salt and black pepper

2 cups crunchy paprika lentils (recipe to follow)

1/2 cup – 1 cup sunflower seed dressing (recipe to follow)

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.  Line baking sheet with parchment paper.  Toss cut broccoli with 2 tbsp olive oil and a pinch each of salt and pepper.  Toss ingredients together to combine.  Roast 7 minutes on the first side, then toss and roast another 7 minutes on other side.  Remove from oven and allow to cool.

In a large bowl, place cooled broccoli, sliced radicchio, cranberries and shallot.  Add 1/2 cup of sunflower seed dressing to start and toss.  If you like more dressing, add more.  Top with crunchy paprika lentils and dig in!

sunflower seed dressing

adapted from Choosing Raw

makes about 1 cup

1/2 cup sunflower seeds, roasted and unsalted

1 tbsp tahini

1/2 lemon, juiced

1/2 cup water

1/4 cup cilantro leaves

salt and black pepper

1 tbsp orange vinegar

1/2 medium shallot

In a blender, combine the sunflower seeds and water and blend.  Scrape down the sides of the blender and blend again.  Add tahini, lemon juice, cilantro, a pinch of salt and pepper, vinegar and shallot and blend to combine.  Scrape down the sides of the blender and blend again until completely combined.  If you want a thinner dressing, add more water.

crunchy smoked paprika lentils

adapted from Edible Perspective

2 cups cooked lentil

2 tbsp olive oil

salt and black pepper

2 tbsp smoked ground paprika

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Line baking sheet with parchment paper.  Toss cooked lentils with olive oil, one pinch of salt and pepper and smoked paprika.  Roast lentils for 10-15 minutes on one side.  Toss and roast for another 10-15 minutes on the other side, or until crispy.