This Lentil and Walnut Pâté is the perfect blend of nutritious and delicious. It's creamy, flavorful, and packed with protein. Serve it with crackers, bread, or vegetable sticks for a satisfying treat!

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup dried lentils washed and sorted to remove any grit

• 3 cups water

• 1 bay leaf

• 3 tablespoons olive oil (divided use)

• 1 small, yellow onion, chopped

• 6 cloves garlic, peeled and coarsely chopped

• 1 tablespoon mirin

• One cup fresh chopped parsley plus extra for garnish

• Dried thyme, oregano and black pepper to taste

• 3 tablespoons white or yellow miso paste

• 1 1/2 tablespoons umeboshi paste

• 3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

• extra olive oil, for drizzling

Instructions

• Cook lentils with bay leaf until very tender by boiling on the stove (about 45

  minutes), or in an InstaPot, about 20 minutes. Drain and reserve the liquid. Discard

  the bay leaf, and cool completely (you can speed this up by spreading the lentils out

  on a plate and sticking them in the fridge).

• Meanwhile, heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil in a heavy skillet over medium heat.

  Add the onion, garlic, dried herbs and pepper. Sauté, stirring frequently and reducing

  the heat if necessary, until the onions are golden, about 15 minutes. Stir in the mirin,

  remove from heat and cool.

• Place the toasted and cooled walnuts in the bowl of a food processor and puree until

  it looks like nut butter, scraping the sides of the bowl as needed. Add the cooled

  lentils and the onion mixture and puree smooth. Add in the parsley, miso, umeboshi,

  pepper, and remaining tablespoon of olive oil, and blend until smooth.

• Serve immediately, or store in the refrigerator for up to a week. Drizzle with olive oil

  and chopped fresh herbs, and serve with gluten-free crackers and raw veggies (red

  pepper, carrots, celery, radish).