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Middle Eastern Lentil Bowl with Za'atar Roasted Carrots and Sumac Pickled Onions

Ingredients

  • 3 cups cooked French green lentils
  • 3/4 cup parsley, finely chopped
  • 3/4 cup mint, finely chopped
  • 1/2 cup dried apricots, chopped (recipe notes)
  • Tomatoes, olives, chickpeas, for toppings (recipe notes)

Sumac Vinaigrette

  • 1/2 cup olive oil
  • Whole lemon, juiced
  • 3 drops lemon essential oil*
  • 6 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 tablespoon sumac powder
  • 1 teaspoon allspice powder
  • 1 drop cinnamon essential oil* (or 1 teaspoon cinnamon)
  • 1 drop cumin essential oil* (or 1 teaspoon cumin)
  • 3 teaspoons maple syrup
  • Salt and fresh ground pepper, to taste

Sumac Pickled Onions

  • 1 large red onion, cut into half-moon slices
  • Half of lemon, juiced
  • 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 4 teaspoons sumac powder
  • 5 drops lemon essential oil*
  • 1/2 teaspoon sugar
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt

Za'atar Roasted Carrots

  • 1 pound carrots
  • 2 tablespoons avocado oil
  • 1 tablespoon za'atar seasoning

Herbed Yogurt

  • 1 cup Greek yogurt
  • 3 garlic cloves, minced
  • 2 tablespoons mint, chopped
  • 1 teaspoon parsley, cilantro, or basil (recipe notes)
  • Salt and Pepper, to taste

Instructions

  • Make the sumac pickled onions. I do this at the beginning of the recipe so the onions have time to pickle. Put the sliced onions into a lidded container and add the lemon juice, apple cider vinegar, sugar, olive oil, sumac, lemon essential oil, and salt. Put on the lid and give a good shake to combine. Put in the fridge until needed. (recipe notes)
  • Preheat the over to 400 degrees F.
  • While waiting for the oven to heat up, make the lentil salad. Combine the lentils, dried apricots, mint, parsley and sumac vinaigrette and toss togeter. Put aside and let the flavors soak into the lentils.
  • Toss the avocado oil and za'atar with carrots and let roast for about 15 minutes.
  • While the carrots cool, combine in a small bowl the yogurt, garlic, herbs, salt and pepper to make the herbed yogurt.
  • To serve, divide the lentil salad among bowls. Add the roasted za'atar carrots, olives, tomatoes, chickpeas, pickled onions, and herbed yogurt. (recipe notes)

Notes

  • I like to make the sumac dressing immediately and then add the chopped apricots to the dressing so they have time to soften before adding them to the salad.
  • I added a delicious chickpea salad I found at Whole Foods (as pictured) that tied in nicely. You can add plain or, for crunch, roasted chickpeas!
  • Add any herbs you have on hand besides the mint for the herb yogurt. You could also add basil, cilantro, or oregano essential oil. Just be careful of the potency!
  • For the sumac onions, I periodically shake the container while cooking to make sure they are evenly pickled.
 
*We use doTERRA essential oils for cooking because of their high quality and purity. You do not have to use essential oils for this recipe but if you do make sure they are food-grade and safe for internal consumption.