Lentil, Kale & Sweet Potato Burritos
The following recipe and photography was provided by recipe developer and food photographer, Ashley Durand of Plate & Pen.
I’ve always read that lentils are a delicious and filling alternative to traditional animal protein, but I never felt inspired to cook with them because, to be honest, they’re not the pinnacle of flavor.
However, I’ve learned that when paired with the right flavorful ingredients, lentils can actually be quite tasty. In an effort to give some of my favorite protein-packed dishes a plant-based face lift, I whipped up these Lentil, Kale & Sweet Potato Burritos, and they did not disappoint.
I’ve worked with a lot of lentils recently, and I strongly recommend the red variety. I find that they cook quicker and look more appetizing on their own. Coated in a coconut cream sauce and mixed with kale, sweet potatoes, spices and honey goat cheese, this flavorful lentil filling is best complimented by a spinach wrap for extra color and depth of flavor.
To literally top it off, drizzle a premade ginger mandarin dressing overtop and watch everyone at the table give this recipe a chef’s kiss.
Lentil, Kale & Sweet Potato Burritos
Servings: 2 Burritos
Ingredients
- 7-8 cups kale, washed and chopped
- 2 sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed
- 1 small yellow onion, diced
- A few glugs of olive oil, for sautéing the kale
- 1 tsp. cumin
- 1 tsp. chili powder
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- 1/2 tsp. black pepper
- 1 tsp. Tajin seasoning
- 1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
- 5 garlic cloves, minced
- 3/4 cup coconut cream
- 1 tsp. tomato paste
- Juice of 1/2 lime
- 1 cup red lentils, cooked
- 1 package of 8-inch spinach wraps
- Brianna’s ginger mandarin dressing
- 2 oz. honey goat cheese, broken up
- Cilantro, for garnish
Instructions
- Mix together the coconut cream and tomato paste using a hand-held immersion blender or traditional blender. Cover and set aside in the fridge.
- In a small bowl, mix together the cumin, chili powder, salt, pepper, Tajin seasoning and cayenne pepper. Set aside.
- In a large pot on the stove, boil the sweet potatoes for 20 minutes.
- Add 3 cups of water to a separate pot on the stove and boil the lentils for 15 minutes. Make sure to salt the water prior to adding the lentils. The lentils and sweet potatoes can be boiled simultaneously.
- Once cooked, drain the lentils and transfer them back to the pot.
- Remove the sweet potatoes from the water with a slotted spoon and transfer to a bowl. Set aside.
- Add the olive oil to a large 12-inch skillet and sauté the onion over medium heat for 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for an additional 5 minutes.
- Add the seasoning mixture and sweet potatoes. Gently fold the sweet potatoes into the onions, garlic and seasonings. Cook for 2-3 minutes to dry out the sweet potatoes. They should be slightly sticky.
- Remove the sweet potato mixture from the skillet and set it aside in large bowl.
- Clean the skillet and return it to the stove with a small amount of olive oil. Add the kale, along with salt and pepper, and cook for about 5 minutes until it is wilted but still has some bite. If all of the kale does not fit in the skillet at once, sauté it in batches. Once wilted, set the kale aside.
- Lay one spinach wrap on a flat surface and add the sweet potato mixture, lentils, kale, goat cheese and a drizzle of the coconut cream and tomato paste mixture. Reserve some of the coconut cream mixture to help seal the burritos.
- Roll and seal the burrito and place it seam-side-down in the skillet to brown. Repeat until all of the fillings have been used.
- Serve with more goat cheese, cilantro and a drizzle of the premade ginger mandarin dressing.
