I always feel so healthy when I eat lentils. I practically feel holier than thou macrobiotic vegan locavore when I eat a warm lentil salad over salad. Earthy lentils combined with crunchy sweet red pepper and celery, a trinity that balances texture, flavor, and color. A little feta adds for a creamy, salty surprise. The oil that is cooked with the vegetables also dress the greens. A squeeze of lemon gives extra brightness.
Warm Lentil Salad – serves six
-boil a quart of water, add 1 cup lentils
-cook until tender, but not mushy, about 20 minutes
-in the meantime, prepare the vegetables – mince 2 scallions, and chop 1/2 red bell pepper and 3 celery stalks
-when the lentils are done, drain
-in a large frying pan, heat 2T olive oil over medium high-add scallions, heat until fragrant, about 1 minute
-add red pepper and celery, saute until vibrant and still crisp about 3 minutes
-add lentils, 1/2t salt, and 1/4t pepper, toss until well combined, about 1 minute
-turn off the heat, add the juice of half a lemon and 1/2 cup cubed feta cheese
-serve over salad greens
I also like chopped parsley when I have it. Other vegetables can be added to the mix -carrots, cucumber, tomatoes, as long as their chopped to the scale of the lentils. For more spice, add hot sauce, but I like being able to taste the subtle flavor of the lentils.
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