Millet, Lentil & Roasted Veggies Bowl

Hey everyone!  It’s a dreary day here in Atlanta, so I figured I would brighten things up with a colorful Buddha Bowl recipe.  I’d also love to sit down with a cup of tea and a good book, so I’ll keep my intro short. 😉
This recipe may seem a little bit complicated at first glance since it has a few different components, but it is pretty straight forward to make.  As usual, you can substitute any of the ingredients to your liking!  I know a lot of people don’t like beets, so you can change out with any other root vegetable–parsnips, carrots, turnips, sweet potatoes would all work here.

I used mint that we dried from our massive bush in the garden.  It was broken up into fairly large pieces, so take that into account when measuring if you decide to use dried ground mint instead.  It is pretty subtle in the dish, but does pair nicely with the cumin, coriander and sumac.  I have all of my fabulous flavored vinegars from Oli + Ve, so that’s why I opted to make my own dressing.  If you want to keep it even more simple, just use your own favorite dressing or drizzle with plain balsamic.
Millet, Lentil & Roasted Veggies Bowl
Makes 6 servings

• 1 cup millet
• 1 cup French, black or green lentils
• 3 beets, trimmed & chopped
• 2 small or 1 large acorn squash, seeded & chopped
• 1 bulb fennel, woody stems removed (try to reserve the leafy fronds for your dressing) & chopped
• 1 tablespoon dried torn mint leaves (use less for ground)
• 1/2 teaspoon dried coriander
• 1/2 teaspoon dried cumin
• leafy greens for serving
• green olives, pitted & halved

Balsamic Mint Dressing

• 3 tablespoons herb-flavored balsamic vinegar
• 2 tablespoons lemon white balsamic vinegar or 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice + 1 tablespoon white balsamic
• 2-3 tablespoons water to thin out or reduce the acidity as needed
• 2 tablespoons grainy mustard
• 1 tablespoon dried torn mint leaves
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh fennel fronds
• 1/2 teaspoon ground sumac
• 1/2 teaspoon salt (optional)

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.  Place your prepared beets, squash and fennel on a baking sheet lined with a silicone or parchment liner.  Sprinkle with mint, coriander and cumin then mix lightly.  Place in the oven and cook for 30-40 minutes, depending upon how big your pieces are.  Stir at least once halfway.
While your vegetables are roasting, cook the millet and lentils according to package instructions in vegetable broth or water.  *I cooked mine separately so I could get the lentils to the desired texture, but if the package states similar cooking times feel free to cook together to make it easier!  Set aside until you are ready to put together your bowls.
Once your items are cooked, place a few handfuls of leafy greens into each of your bowls.  Top with a healthy scoop of millet, lentils and your roasted veggie mixture.  I added a few halved olives to each of my bowls, but left them off of my boyfriend’s servings.
Mix together all of the ingredients for the dressing in a bowl with a whisk and pour an equal amount over each of the bowls.  You can also use your favorite dressing or top with hummus instead. 🙂

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