Hey, how are you all doing in this new reality? Sweden has been handling things a bit differently than the rest of the world. We are not in quarantine or lockdown even though we are all recommended to work from home, apply social distancing, avoid all non-essential travels and crowded places. And resist all physical contact with our elderly. High schools and universities are closed but our children are still in day-care and school.
I don't want to speculate if our method is better or worse than the rest of the world, although at the moment I am grateful for the amount of freedom we have and that our family is feeling well so far. We'd love to hear how you are coping with everything.
Writing and sharing recipes might seem like a small act in these times, but we believe cooking a good meal with our family is one of the few things we can still do to keep sane, calm and happy. And today's recipe is in every sense a great meal to share with your loved ones. It is healthy, comforting, vegan, looks beautiful and includes our three favorite C's: Charred (the sweet potatoes), Creamy (the hummus) and Crunchy (the salad)! The ingredient list isn't overly complicated, the method is very simple and yet the result is stunning. And you can adapt it in a million ways to preference and what you have at home (see a few suggestions below). The lentil salad might be my favorite part with sweetness from dates, nourishment from the lentils, a fresh zing from the vinaigrette and crunchiness from celery and cucumber.
We had so much fun with the Fish & Chips Cookalong a few weeks ago, so we will also be cooking this step-by-step style on David's insta story tomorrow (Saturday 25 april) around dinner time in Europe. Hope you want to cook along with us. Just like last time we will share your photos on here and on instagram. You can also ask us recipe questions as we are cooking. And we will keep it saved as an insta story highlight if you want to cook it later.
Recipe notes
• If you don't have sweet potatoes you could roast aubergine, cauliflower, large potatoes or broccoli instead.
• We are using cooked lentils here to make things a bit easier but you can obviously use dried brown or black lentils that you cook for about 15 minutes. You need about 1/2 cup dried lentils.
• Fresh dill can be subbed with parsley.
• We like our hummus light and fluffy in this recipe so we are using quite a lot of tahini and water, maybe more than what you might be used to. You could start by adding a little less water if you want it firmer. Our hummus is also mildly flavored (for the kids) but you could absolutely add garlic, chili or harissa.
• You can skip the dates if you want it less sweet. Or use dried apricots instead.
•You can swap the butter beans in the hummus for cannellini beans or chickpeas. You can of course also buy a pre-made hummus if you prefer.
• If you don't like hummus, you can swap it for Turkish or Greek yogurt or labneh. We still recommend drizzling with a little tahini though.
• You could also add a poached egg on top if you like.
• Any condiment or chili paste would pair fabulously with this for a bit of spice, like this chile crisp from BA.
• If you are cooking for kids, we recommend keeping the food elements separated. Or as our kids put it: The hummus can't touch the sweet potato! A dollop of hummus on one part of the plate, a sweet potato half on the side, and then really push the fact that the lentil salad has dates in it ;)
I don't want to speculate if our method is better or worse than the rest of the world, although at the moment I am grateful for the amount of freedom we have and that our family is feeling well so far. We'd love to hear how you are coping with everything.
Writing and sharing recipes might seem like a small act in these times, but we believe cooking a good meal with our family is one of the few things we can still do to keep sane, calm and happy. And today's recipe is in every sense a great meal to share with your loved ones. It is healthy, comforting, vegan, looks beautiful and includes our three favorite C's: Charred (the sweet potatoes), Creamy (the hummus) and Crunchy (the salad)! The ingredient list isn't overly complicated, the method is very simple and yet the result is stunning. And you can adapt it in a million ways to preference and what you have at home (see a few suggestions below). The lentil salad might be my favorite part with sweetness from dates, nourishment from the lentils, a fresh zing from the vinaigrette and crunchiness from celery and cucumber.
We had so much fun with the Fish & Chips Cookalong a few weeks ago, so we will also be cooking this step-by-step style on David's insta story tomorrow (Saturday 25 april) around dinner time in Europe. Hope you want to cook along with us. Just like last time we will share your photos on here and on instagram. You can also ask us recipe questions as we are cooking. And we will keep it saved as an insta story highlight if you want to cook it later.
Recipe notes
• If you don't have sweet potatoes you could roast aubergine, cauliflower, large potatoes or broccoli instead.
• We are using cooked lentils here to make things a bit easier but you can obviously use dried brown or black lentils that you cook for about 15 minutes. You need about 1/2 cup dried lentils.
• Fresh dill can be subbed with parsley.
• We like our hummus light and fluffy in this recipe so we are using quite a lot of tahini and water, maybe more than what you might be used to. You could start by adding a little less water if you want it firmer. Our hummus is also mildly flavored (for the kids) but you could absolutely add garlic, chili or harissa.
• You can skip the dates if you want it less sweet. Or use dried apricots instead.
•You can swap the butter beans in the hummus for cannellini beans or chickpeas. You can of course also buy a pre-made hummus if you prefer.
• If you don't like hummus, you can swap it for Turkish or Greek yogurt or labneh. We still recommend drizzling with a little tahini though.
• You could also add a poached egg on top if you like.
• Any condiment or chili paste would pair fabulously with this for a bit of spice, like this chile crisp from BA.
• If you are cooking for kids, we recommend keeping the food elements separated. Or as our kids put it: The hummus can't touch the sweet potato! A dollop of hummus on one part of the plate, a sweet potato half on the side, and then really push the fact that the lentil salad has dates in it ;)
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