Spiced Lentil-Carrot Medley with Roasted Chicken & Sweet Plantains

A delicious spiced lentil-carrot medley with roasted chicken & sweet plantains recipe. Upon reflecting, making this felt like a welcoming of autumn and heartier dinners. I also made this with a roasted peppers and roasted sweet potato puree to replace the tomato paste that is usually added to lentils stew and not only did this replacement make the recipe less acidic, it also made it more hearty and gave it a grounding, delicious taste. I think I’ll be making more of the roasted sweet potato and roasted peppers puree, I think it could be a good base for stews, and sauces to serve with other grains as well. Okay, now on to the recipe :)

(4 servings, also, I didn’t always measure as I cooked, but I’ll try my best to provide estimates :) )

Prep: 4 - 24 hours (to allow the chicken properly marinate)

Cook: 40 mins

Total time: 4 hrs 40 mins - 1 day 40 mins

You’ll Need

Spiced lentil and carrot medley:

• 1 leek

• 1 celery stick

• 2 tsp of grated ginger (or chopped ginger into small bits)

• 4 carrots (about 2 cups chopped)

• 2 tbsp olive oil

• 1 tsp ground cumin

• 1/2 tsp cinnamon

• ~ 2 cup brown lentils

• Salt (to taste)

• Red pepper (to taste)

• 3 tbsp of roasted peppers and roasted sweet potatoes puree

• 3 cubes of bouillon cube (to taste too)

• 3-4 cups of water (you could start with three, and then add water along the way as needed)

• 1 tbsp chopped parsley (optional)

  Roasted Chicken Cuts

• 1 inch cuts of 4 chicken thighs

• olive oil

• boullion cubes (about 2, also to taste)

• salt (to taste)

• red pepper (to taste)

• curry powder (to taste)

• a dash or two of thyme

  Fried Sweet Plantain Cuts

• 2 ripe plantains

• olive oil (not too much) or sun-flower oil (not too much) to fry

  Roasted Sweet Potatoes and Roasted Peppers Puree:

• 1 sweet potato

• 4 bell peppers

• 1-2 tbsp olive oil

Steps

Roasted chicken:

• Add the 1-inch chicken thigh cuts into a bowl

• Add in your olive oil and massage into the chicken thighs

• Add in all your spices

• Leave overnight (or up to four hours) to marinate in your fridge

• Once marinated, preheat oven to 200 C (400 F)

• Roast for about 20 mins or more if needed (stir it and check on it along the way too)

Roasted bell peppers and roasted sweet potato puree:

• Preheat the oven to 425°F (220°C) and line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper

• Slice up your bell peppers

• Peel the sweet potatoes and cut them into 1-inch cubes or wedges

• Toss the sweet potatoes and bell peppers with olive oil and then spread them evenly onto the baking sheets (one could also spread the sweet potatoes and bell peppers on the baking sheets first before drizzling olive oil over them)

• Roast for 25 minutes or until the edges are browned.

• Once well roasted, allow roasted bell peppers and roasted sweet potatoes to cool off and then blend them together in a blender (you could also add garlic (roasted garlic too), and shallots here to the blend)

• Add a little oil to a saucepan over medium heat. Once hot, add the purée and cook, stirring occasionally, until most of the moisture has evaporated and the mixture thickens (you can also season this purée with salt, pepper, and half a bouillon cube (to taste) but it may not be needed since the spiced lentil and carrot medley will be seasoned as well, and the roasted chicken too)

• Set this thicker mixture aside

Fried sweet plantains

• Dice up the ripe plantains into small bits

• Add some oil to a sauce pan

• Fry the diced up plantains

• Set aside and allow to cool

Spiced lentil and carrot medley:

• Chop up your leek, celery and carrots, and grate (or chop) your ginger as well

• Add the leek, celery, ginger and olive oil into a deep pot or skillet. Sauté over medium heat until the leek and celery are softer (about 5 minutes)

• Add the diced carrots, cumin, cinnamon, and red pepper to the pot/skillet and continue to sauté for about two minutes more

• Then, add the uncooked brown lentils, bouillon cubes and water, and place the lid on the pot/skillet and turn up the heat a little higher

• Allow the water to come to full boil. Once boiling, turn the heat down to medium-low and let the lentils simmer in the water with the lid on for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

• After 20-25 minutes, the lentils and carrots should be quite tender, add in the roasted bell peppers and roasted sweet potato thickened mixture, as well as the roasted chicken and the fried plantains. Let all cook together for another 5-10 minutes

• Serve the spiced lentils with crusty bread for dipping, or with some chopped parsley, or by itself as well! :) Enjoy :)

<3,

Nini