It has been a while since I shared a salad. That is about to change. Over the past few months our family’s diet has slowly changed, with no intention of decarb’ing my hubby and I have started to eat fewer grains, specially at night. It is always a big salad or grilled veggies and a small piece of protein for me and slightly bigger portion for him. We feel more energetic, active and healthier. Lentil Salad is easy to make and perfect for weekday meal preps, do all the chopping before hand and assemble right before you eat. This lentil salad lends itself to any cuisine by switching a few ingredients and dressing. It works great with Mediterranean or middle eastern flavors like Shawarma, kebabs, falafels, or simply grilled chicken, fish, shrimps or tofu. It is perfect by itself which is my ideal lunch plate. Hope you like it.
Mediterranean Lentil Salad Makes about 4-5 servings
INGREDIENTS
- 2 cups cooked green lentils, freshly cooked from one cup dried lentils
- 3 Persian cucumber, chopped, about 1-1/2 cups
- 1 small-medium red bell pepper, diced
- 1 jalapeño, finely chopped (optional)
- 2 1/2 cups cherry tomatoes slice in halves if large or leave whole if small ones
- 1 medium sized red onion, sliced
- 1 cup cubed feta or 1 medium avocado diced
- 1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes, drained, olive oil preserved preferred
- 1 cup pitted Kalamata olives and green olives sliced ( I like to mix it up)
- 1/2 cup freshly chopped mint, dill or basil leaves ( I like to use a little of all three together)
- 1 cup freshly chopped parsley leaves
The Vinaigrette
- 3-4 tablespoons your best cold pressed extra virgin olive oil
- 3-4 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1/2 teaspoon Sumac
- 1/2 teaspoon red chili flakes
- 1 teaspoon Aleppo pepper (optional)
- 1 teaspoon zaatar
- 1 garlic clove, minced or grated
- Sea Salt and black pepper as needed
DIRECTIONS
- In a jar, add all the dressing ingredients extra virgin olive oil, lemon juice, minced garlic, salt and pepper, zaatar, chili flakes, sumac and spices.
- Soak the washed dried lentils for about 30 minutes in warm water. Cook them for 15-18 minutes until tender but not mushy. Drain completely and gently pat dry. Place the lentils back in a bowl nd pour 1/2 the vinaigrette and allow it to marinate for 15 minutes. Set aside.
- In a large salad bowl, mix the salad ingredients together chopped cucumber, bell pepper, baby tomatoes, sun-dried tomatoes, olives, and fresh herbs.
- Add the marinating lentils to the bowl.
- Drizzle the remaining vinaigrette over the salad and mix gentle to coat. Add th feta if using. Leave aside for 30 minutes before serving, or cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.
- When ready to serve, give the salad a quick mix and taste to adjust seasoning if at all needed
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