Lentil Salad 3 Ways
Serves about 8
Ingredients
For the Lentils
- 1 cup uncooked green lentils (pick through them for stones and give them a good rinse before cooking) will yield 2½-3 cups of cooked lentils
Sweet Potato, Celery Root & Feta Cheese
- 1 large onion, peeled & cut into thin slices
- 1 cup of roasted sweet potato and celery root (or any "roastable" vegetables such as kohlrabi, broccoli, butternut squash, peppers or mushrooms; leftover cooked vegetables would be great in this)
- ½ -1 cup chopped parsley
- ½ tsp ground cumin
- 2 tbsp red wine vinegar, or to taste
- ¼ lb goat cheese (feta or farmers cheese work well too)
- salt and pepper, to taste
- 2 tbsp olive oil, or to taste
Cherry Tomatoes & Hard-Boiled Eggs - Instead of Roasted Vegetables, Add:
- 12 cherry tomatoes, halved (or more if you prefer)
- 6 hard-boiled eggs, cut in half lengthwise
Seared Salmon & Grapefruit - For a Seafood Meal:
- 2 salmon fillets with skin, about 4-6 oz each
- olive oil for pan
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 pink grapefruit, sectioned
- chopped chives for garnish
How-to
Cook Lentils - View "How to Cook Lentils" to watch this process.
- In a large saucepan (the lentils will nearly double in volume) place the lentils and cover them with 2" of water. Add a generous pinch of salt
- Bring to a simmer and cook until the lentils are tender, about 30-45 minutes. When they are cooked, drain them and set them aside
Lentil Salad w/ Sweet Potato, Celery Root & Feta Cheese
- Saute the sliced onions over medium heat until dark brown (not burned) and caramelized. Roast the chopped vegetables in a 400º oven until they are cooked through to your taste
- Put the onions and roasted vegetables in a large bowl with the parsley and cumin. Add half of the lentils and stir gently to combine. Add more lentils until you get the proportions you want
- Drizzle the salad with vinegar and oil (about equal amounts of each). Sprinkle with salt and a good amount of freshly ground pepper
- Add the feta and stir to combine. Taste and adjust for acid and salt as needed
- This is good right away, but also holds really well so it can be made a day or so in advance. It tastes best at room temperature
Lentil Salad w/ Cherry Tomatoes & Hard-Boiled Eggs
- To lentil salad add 12 cherry tomatoes cut in half
- Place sliced hard-boiled eggs around the perimeter of the plate
Lentil Salad w/ Seared Salmon & Grapefruit
- Add oil to heated saute pan and place salmon flesh side down
- Cook about 4-6 minutes each side
- Add to plate of lentil salad and garnish with grapefruit sections and chopped chives