Warm salad of lentils, roasted carrots and marinated feta

FEATURING MONJAY MEZZA’S MARINATED FETA

Not much needs to be done to enjoy our products, Break open a packet of your favourite crackers or cut a carrot into batons and dip away. Or simply arrange our delicious finger foods on a platter and watch them crowd around. But the potential of our range is so much more, and we want to prove it. So we've created our very own recipe page to show you the versatility of our products. Dips to marinate or bake with, finger food transformed into main meals - the limit is your imagination.

SERVES: 4

COOK TIME: 40 minutes

In the colder months, we tend to get stuck in a rut. All we can think of are heavy stews, casseroles and carb-heavy meals to ward off the winter chill. While these dishes can be comforting, they can also become monotonous and just plain heavy.

It’s time for a re-think. Now, salads aren’t the first thing that comes to mind when thinking up winter warmers, but this warm lentil salad can do all the heavy lifting of the stodgiest casserole, albeit with a light touch.

With sweet, vinegary roasted carrots, classic French-braised lentils and our own luxurious marinated feta, this warm salad will heat from the inside out without leaving you feeling like you swallowed a ball of concrete.

Ingredients

2 bunches of baby carrots
Olive oil
½ teaspoon of caraway seeds
1 tablespoon of honey
3 tablespoon of red wine vinegar
1 cup of put lentils
1 cup of white quinoa
2 shallots, peeled and finely diced
200 grams of baby spinach
330 gram tub of Monjay’s Marinated Feta
4 soft boiled eggs

Method

For the carrots. Heat the oven to 200 degrees Celsius. Trim the carrots and toss with the oil and caraway seeds. Lay out on a baking tray lined with baking paper and roast for twenty minutes.

Drizzle the carrots with the honey and one tablespoon of the vinegar and then roast for another fifteen minutes or so, until cooked. Put to one side to cool.

For the lentils. Rinse the lentils under cold water and then place in a saucepan with 1½ cups of water. Bring to the boil, reduce to a simmer and cook until tender, around fifteen minutes. Drain and rinse under cold water to stop the cooking process.

Cook the quinoa according to the packet instructions, making sure to keep an eye on cooking time as white quinoa cooks very quickly and can turn mushy. Drain, then break up with a fork and combine with the lentils.

Stir through the vinegar, shallots and spinach. Season carefully, as the feta adds a salty punch.

Arrange. Portion the lentil/quinoa mixture out among four plates. Place a dollop of the marinated feta on top and some of the baby carrots alongside. Serve with the soft-boiled eggs.

Monjay Mezza is the home of traditional Middle Eastern Dips, Finger Food and Desserts.