sunday and the sun is high and bright. no obligations and no delay in autumn absorption. often in the past i have garnered anxiety for extremely lazy sundays – feeling the notion that there must be something to be done. where my inability to be idle has stemmed from i will never know, my speculations are too soft. what i do realize more and more is that we are nothing if we are unable to embrace the quiet and slow moments as they come. it’s in those moments that we are able to harmonize, relate, and open ourselves to intimacy. in those slow and stilled moments we are able to listen, internalize, react, and provide gratitude. strength for when we’re busy is curated by silent and sweet sundays (whatever day of the week that may be for you).
in the slow moments we can theorize. we can examine the pallid tree leaves with no scrutiny to the season or discrimination to the cold. we can leave vegetables for the neighbors. we can ask our garden what it needs, and be able to hear it when it tells us. we get to collect wisdom for the days when we may live to be considered wise. or wiser than before. i get to open the refrigerator and question the integrity of some of the contents. maybe research the stargazing conditions for the next week while simultaneously making plans to miss some of them. we allow ourselves to drink in the painted autumn landscapes before all is white and white is all there is. the hills are high, the sky is wide and long, and the valleys and meadows are open arms.
- 1 cup red lentils
- 1 large leek, sliced lengthwise and chopped (top removed)
- 1 large apple (tart or sweet), diced
- 1 pomegranate, arils removed
- sage dressing:
- 2 tbl tahini paste
- 2 tbl grapeseed oil
- 3 tbl water
- 1 tbl apple cider vinegar
- 1 / 8 tsp honey
- 1 tbl finely minced fresh sage
- rinse and pick across red lentils, removing any hard debris. fill a small pot with two cups of water and combine with lentils. bring lentils to a boil over medium-high heat, and reduce to the softest simmer, uncovered, for 20 minutes, 30 at the very most.
- while lentils are cooking heat 1 tsp of oil in a medium skillet and cook leek until soft and lightly browned.
- lentils will be tender when finished - drain any excess water if needed and transfer lentils to a large bowl or platter. toss lentils with leek, apple, and pomegranate.
- to make the dressing, mix in a medium bowl the tahini, oil, water, vinegar, honey, and sage. serve to dress the salad.
love your reflections about quiet, stillness, and listening here. sometimes it’s hard to dedicate myself to a lazy day because i ravenously pursue some idealized version of laziness not unlike the way i pursue business. and that’s just a bit silly. ha!
i’m finding more and more that it’s easier to succumb to silent moments when i don’t anticipate them or expect from them. a work in progress, always, but a true portrait of life. thank you for your presence jaime! ♥
Gorgeous styling! I love how simple and easy this recipe is. I’ve never heard of this flavor pairing together, but it sounds great! Yum!
xx Sydney
thank you so much for the love sydney! yes, i really enjoy the simplicity of assembling basic combinations to produce a romantic whole. this made for a delicious meal! ♥
Gorgeous salad Danielle! Sounds like an amazing combination of flavours – apple and pomegranate are so bright and crisp. The tahini dressing is something I really need to try – so many people stick to the straight balsamic/olive oil dressings but tahini has such a nutty depth of flavour I can imagine it would really add to the salad. <3
Claudia thank you! I, too, find apple and pomegranate to be such bright flavors this time of year. I find myself craving that crispness that both of them offer so effortlessly. I definitely recommend tahini dressing experimentation – it’s such a giving paste and lends itself to infinite applications in the kitchen. Hope your coming weekend is lovely! ♥