Indian-Spiced Roasted Vegetables Over Lentils

It’s time to be a good girl.

It’s time to snuggle some vegetables, pony up to some fiber, group hug some fruit, and drink my way through an Olympic-sized swimming pool. Minus the chlorine.

Not that I can’t appreciate a juicy mcgruicy burger from time to time, but after sampling 6 (SIX, you guys) of them over the weekend with a bunch of food bloggers, my innards began to sing ballads of regret to me the entire 8-hour drive back to Kansas City.

And the ballads were out of key. Like, really really out of key.

Wolves howled.

Glass shattered.

Eggs exploded on their own inside cartons.

OKAY, HOW AM I CRAVING A BURGER?

But really, I’m getting serious. Ready?

Last night I made the below, and my face went numb. I must be allergic to awesomeness, because I couldn’t move. Or talk. It was just, chomp chomp….chompchompchomp……chomp……chompchomp.

I toasted and ground up some various Indian-y spices and roasted the veggies with it.

OMG.

Then threw the roasted chunks of euphoria over some French green lentils and finished with a good splash of lemon juice.

O.M.G.

Make this and tell me how long it takes for you to move an inch. Just one inch.

Indian-Spiced Roasted Vegetables Over Lentils:

What it took for 2:

* 1 cup green lentils
* 1 tsp cumin seeds, toasted
* 1 tsp mustard seeds, toasted
* 1 tsp turmeric
* 1 tsp garam masala
* 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper
* 1 acorn squash, halved, seeded and sliced thinly
* 1/2 red onion, sliced thickly
* 3 carrots, halved crosswise, then again lengthwise (or into 3-inch sticks)
* 1 sweet potato, cut into bite-sized chunks
* coarse salt and pepper
* 4 Tbs. extra-virgin olive oil, divided
* juice from half a lemon

Preheat your oven to 425.

Using a mortar and pestle, grind the cumin seeds and mustard seeds until they become a fine powder. Toss in the turmeric, garam masala and crushed red pepper. Grind again to combine everything. SMELL. THAT.

On a large rimmed baking sheet, toss the vegetables with the spices, 2 Tbs. oil and a good pinch of salt and pepper. Toss her in and roast 40 minutes. Check at the 20 minute mark and flip everything around a bit.

In the meantime, cook up ze lentils in boiling water until tender, roughly 25 minutes.

Serve lentils with roasted veggies, a good drizzle of olive oil and a couple of spritzes of lemon juice.

Your mouth is about to freak out.