I happened to come across this beautiful food blog called My Darling Lemon Thyme. As soon as I saw the photos and recipes, I fell in love. Her style of cooking was exactly what I was looking for – easy, simple, healthy, gluten-free and vegetarian. Surprisingly, she lives in Perth, as well. Then she released her first cookbook recently and I was lucky enough to go to a book launch in Mount Lawley. Meeting her and her family in person, listening to her story, tasting three of her recipes from the book, yes! getting that beautiful cookbook in my hands. It was a wonderful night and gave me so much encouragement, believing in myself and what I really like and am passionate about. One of the dishes that came out is this lentil tapenade. It was delicious on carrot sticks and chickpea crackers. I had to try make one at home with my own spin on it. I mixed two kinds of lentils – French puy and brown lentils, added toasted pine nuts for nutty flavour and crunch.
“Tapenade” is just a fancy word for an olive spread. This lentil black olive tapenade recipe isn’t the classic one, but it’s tasty and a wonderful nutrient-dense spread.
Lentils are sky-high in soluble fibre, which slows down digestion and fills you up. As soluble fibre enters the digestive tract, it absorbs water and dissolves into a viscous gel that reduces the absorption of cholesterol into the bloodstream. Potassium found in lentils helps to lower blood pressure. They are also rich in folate and B vitamins for fighting against cancer, iron for boosting energy, great vegetarian protein and antioxidants. French puy lentils, my favorite kind, has rich and peppery flavour, stay firm when cooked, great for salads, tabbouleh and pilafs.
Ingredients (adapted from My darling lemon thyme)
100g dried French puy and brown rentils
1/2 tsp of minced garlic1 heap table spoon of chopped pitted black olives
1 tsp of rinsed capers
1 tbsp of e.v.o.o
a squeeze of lemon
a pinch of salt
a handful of toasted pine nuts
pepper to taste
Wash the lentils thoroughly, put in a saucepan, cover with cold water, bring it up to a boil and simmer on low heat for 20-30 minutes until cooked. Drain and set aside. Put all the other ingredients and cooked lentils in a food processor and pulse until smooth. Season with salt and pepper. Serve with crackers or veggie sticks.