Spicy roasted sweet potatoes cosy up to puy lentils under a perfectly runny poached egg and a herbed lime and avocado sauce. This heavenly, protein rich, vegetarian bowl is perfect for lunch, dinner, or a lazy weekend brunch!
Sometimes I think every meal would be better if we just ate breakfast food. I mean, avocado on toast, cereal with icy cold milk, granola parfaits, oatmeal, and poached eggs on pretty much anything, are among the best foods ever created. So, in this meal I attempt to mash together several breakfast favourites with some adult things called vegetables – and give it a decent heaping of vegetarian protein too!
Let’s start from the bottom, shall we? I piled some leafy greens into the bottom of my bowl because the fresh crunch of baby spinach is the perfect background to the key players in this bowl, and it picks up all the drippy egg leftovers, crispy collateral damage from the sweet potato and leftover avocado herb sauce.
The next layer is our roasted sweet potatoes. These are cut thick, rolled in olive oil, cumin, and ground coriander, and then roasted until soft and sweet. Puy lentils pack a major nutritional punch here too. Did you know just 1 cup of these babies has 18 grams of protein and over 30% of your daily requirement of iron! Take that Popeye! I cook my lentils with a few bay leaves and some dried thyme to boost their naturally earthy flavour.
Now for the sauce. This creamy avocado sauce brings everything together. It’s tangy, and smooth, and creamy and sharp and the perfect foil to sweet potatoes and lentils and a runny, drippy-centred poached egg. I slathered the leftover sauce on everything I could find after I had finished eating this dish – crackers, roasted potatoes, quinoa salad – everything. You could even use it as a super smooth guacamole dip all by itself! Now that’s an idea for Friday night dinner ;)
And the crowning glory of this bowl is a gloriously wobbly, golden, ready-to-burst poached egg. I don’t profess to be the best poached egg maker on the planet, so I don’t have a fool-proof method. My top tips are: use really, really fresh eggs; make sure you add some white vinegar to your water (it helps coagulate the proteins); and use a tea cup to slide the eggs into the water. As per usual, Jamie Oliver does a great job of teaching us how to do it and gives three different ways to achieve poached egg perfection.
Transport yourself to the best little bistro ever and make this in your own kitchen today!
Roasted Sweet Potato, Lentil and Poached Egg Bowls with Avocado-Lime Sauce
Gluten Free | Vegetarian | Serves 2
Ingredients
- 1 medium sweet potato (~400 grams)
- 1/2 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander seeds
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin seeds
- 1/2 cup Puy lentils
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
- 2 eggs
- 3 cups baby spinach (or other baby greens)
For the sauce
- 1/2 large avocado
- Juice of 1 lime
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh coriander
- salt and pepper to taste
Also:
- White vinegar or lemon juice
Method
- Preheat your oven to 200C and line a large baking tray with baking paper.
- Peel sweet potato and chop into long finger-sized pieces. Place on baking sheet. Drizzle over olive oil, and sprinkle on coriander and cumin. Use clean hands to mix it all together so that the sweet potato pieces are all coated in the oil and spice mixture.
- Bake sweet potatoes in the pre-heated oven for 25 minutes or until soft in the middle when poked with a fork.
- While potatoes are baking, cook your lentils. Rinse lentils well and place in a medium saucepan with 2 cups of cool water and the bay leaves and dried thyme. Bring water to the boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook for 20 minutes or until the lentils are al dente: firm but cooked all the way through. Once the lentils are cooked, drain well and set aside until needed.
- While the lentils are cooking and the potatoes are baking, make the avocado sauce. Place avocado flesh, lime juice and coriander in a small food processor and pulse until smooth. Add salt and pepper to taste.
- Place a medium saucepan filled halfway with water over a high heat and bring to the boil. Add a tablespoon of white vinegar (or lemon juice) to the water and let it remain at the boil.
- Assemble your bowls before you cook your poached eggs.
- Place half the baby spinach in each bowl. Divide roasted sweet potatoes between the bowls and top with a serving of lentils. Drizzle over avocado sauce.
- To poach your eggs. Crack the egg into a tea cup. Create a whirlpool in the water and slide the egg into the centre. The whirlpool should help to swirl the white around the yolk. You can use a slotted spoon to assist once the egg has started cooking a little. Cook for 3 minutes then remove immediately with a slotted spoon and perch atop your layered bowls. Devour immediately.
