Spiced Lentil Sweet Potato Kale Pockets

After Sam's great post about tortillas, I thought I would follow it up with a fun recipe to fill up those delicious tortillas. I mostly just borrowed it from another blog so I am strait up copying the URL here because the credit for this recipe is hers. From what I remember she is a college student studying cuisine and the culinary arts. I recommended reading her post, it's interesting and helpful.

http://www.thekitchn.com/recipe-spiced-lentil-sweet-potato-and-kale-whole-wheat-pockets-181100

Ok, now I'll tell you how I tweaked it. Instead of whole wheat calzones, which are more healthy and portable as she describes, I used tortillas for the convenience and (in my opinion) better taste. The kale and lentils and sweet potatoes are enough flavor on their own and just needed a little bit of "bad" with all that "good" for my palate. What I love about this recipe is that it is wholesome and unabashedly good for you and totally unique. So when you're feeling like you've had the "same old same old" for a while, this might be just the thing.

Here's the basics:


For the filling:
3 small sweet potatoes, scrubbed clean
2 tablespoons olive oil, divided, plus more for brushing
1 onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
1/2 cup French green (Puy) lentils, picked over and rinsed
2 cups water
1 bunch kale, tough ribs and stems removed
1/2 teaspoon salt

Preheat the oven to 400°F. Prick the sweet potatoes in several places with a fork and place on a baking sheet. Bake 45 minutes to 1 hour, or until very soft to the touch. Set aside to cool.
 

Cut the onion in half. Thinly slice one half and set aside. Dice the other half. Warm 1 tablespoon of oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat and saute the diced onion and garlic until onion is translucent. Add the cumin, cinnamon and allspice and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the lentils and water. Bring to a boil over high heat, then lower heat and simmer uncovered for 10 minutes. Cut the kale into bite-size pieces. Add kale and salt to the lentils. Cover and simmer for 5-10 minutes more, until lentils are soft but not mushy. Taste and adjust seasoning. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the lentil and kale mixture to a bowl, leaving most of the cooking liquid in the pot.
Meanwhile, warm 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a heavy skillet over low heat. Add the thinly sliced onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until onions are caramelized, about 20-25 minutes.


Peel the sweet potatoes and cut into 1-inch chunks. Mash with a fork until smooth and add a sprinkle of salt, if needed.

Spread about 1/4 cup mashed sweet potato over bottom half the tortilla. Cover with about 1/3 cup of the lentils and kale. Top with a small amount of caramelized onions.Voila!


Additional Notes:
• Brown lentils can be substituted for the French green lentils, but begin checking for doneness a little earlier.