Lentil dip with roasted mushrooms and onions

I like to be as efficient as I possibly can and though I love to cook and spend most of my time in the kitchen, I am happiest when I have ready-to-use ingredients that I can just put together in new ways. So, when I boil lentils for a specific recipe, I double the quantity and reserve half for next day's different idea. And when I roast something in the oven, I look in my fridge for other veggies I can cook along, my oven never runs half-empty. Then, I simply put the cooked ingredients in the fridge, and the next day the fun begins: coming up with something I haven't before. And that is how this particular dip came into being - a few ingredients from the fridge blended harmoniously in a most delicious dip! 

Ingredients

- 1/2 cup Puy lentils, picked and rinsed

- 1 bay leaf

- 200 g mushrooms, sliced

- 2 onions, sliced not too thinly

- 10 kalamata olives, pitted

- 3 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

- salt and pepper, to taste

Cover the lentils with plenty of water, add the bay leaf and boil for 15 minutes or until cooked. Scoop out about half a cup of the cooking liquid, drain the lentils and reserve.

Place the mushrooms and onions on a baking sheet, sprinkle with salt and pepper, drizzle with the olive oil and toss to coat. Roast at 400 F until tender and edges of the onions start to brown. Place the lentils, onions, mushrooms (and the oil in which they cooked) and the olives in a blender and pulse until smooth. If needed, add some of the lentils' cooking liquid. Taste and adjust seasonings to your preference. Serve with bread or crackers and enjoy!