The Lentil Salad of lentil salads

Lentils have been a staple of Middle Eastern and Indian cuisine for thousands of years. In fact, records show people have been eating them for over 6,000, maybe even 13,000 years!

They come in all sorts of colors: black, yellow, brown, green and red!

And they are incredibly healthy. Their benefits include being alkalizing (whereas meat is acidic), they contain lots of fiber, encourage heart health, lower cholesterol, improve digestive health, contain a good amount of minerals, help us maintain blood sugar balance, can help us with weight loss, and improve our immunity.

And, they’re really inexpensive!

They are also quite versatile. You must cook them, but you can eat them warm or allow them to cool and make them into salads, or puree them into dips for veggies, either of which I do during warmer months. In the cooler months, I turn them into soups.

So the other day, I was contemplating what to make and decided to make a lentil salad with lots of veggies and some feta cheese for some additional protein. While lentils are usually the one legume that they say doesn’t require soaking, I’ve seen recipes that have you do it anyway, and I do it every time, to help my digestion. Plus it helps cook them a bit faster. This shouldn’t take you much more than half an hour to prepare.

Lentil Salad

Ingredients:
Green lentils
Bacon fat or butter
1/2-1 chopped Onion (sweet, like a Vidalia)
1 Carrot
1 stalk Celery
a couple cloves Garlic
1/4 cup Red wine
1 Bay leaf
Dried basil and oregano, 1/2 tsp each
Extra virgin olive oil and acid of your choice (see below)

Toppings (as much as you want):
Feta cheese crumbles
Roasted red peppers in a jar
Walnuts
Avocado
Tomatoes, preferably cherry or grape, cut in half

Directions:
Soak 1 to 1-1/2 cups of lentils in the morning in some warm water. Let them sit out while you go to work.

In the evening, warm up some bacon fat or butter in a deep, cast iron skillet or Dutch oven. Saute chopped onions for a few minutes while you chop the celery and carrots into a nice dice. Add the carrots and celery to the onions and cook for about 8 minutes more. A little browning is good - it adds flavor. Towards the end, add 2 cloves chopped fresh garlic - don’t burn it!

Drain lentils and rinse. Add to the pot along with enough water to cover. Add a bay leaf and the dried herbs. Cook 20-25 minutes uncovered, depending on preferred level of doneness. For easier digestion cook them longer. (Frankly, al dente lentils aren’t very nice, but it’s also important not to overcook them till their mushy).

Add a little (1/4 cup) red wine towards the end. Trust me, this makes a big difference in taste. Especially good to add if you need a little more liquid.

Taste the lentils at 20 minutes and see how they are. If done to your liking, remove from heat. If not, keep cooking another 5 minutes or so. By then, hopefully most of the liquid has evaporated. If not, remove your lentils/veggies from the pan with a slotted spoon and cool in a bowl. When nearly room temperature add olive oil and either apple cider vinegar, red wine vinegar or (my favorite) lemon juice, season with salt and pepper. Then add your toppings: crumbled feta, chopped roasted red pepper from a jar, chopped walnuts, diced avocado and a freshly chopped tomato.

This salad is so loaded with nutrients, it’s crazy! Toss, and enjoy!

NOTE: If you can’t eat it all and need to store the leftovers, make sure to eat at least all of the avocado, else it turns yucky brown. Everything else will store with the lentils just fine for a few days.