I made this salad recipe up last week during a snowstorm. I didn't have a whole lot of fresh vegetables in the house, and wanted something both refreshing and salad-y, and something warm and stick-to-your-ribs-y...I had lentils, I had lettuce, and I had nearly a whole container of cherry tomatoes that were just a bit past ripe and needed to be cooked rather than eaten raw...and a delicious salad was born.
You could substitute 2 cups of canned lentils for the dried variety, but I personally don't see why you would. Lentils only take about 20 minutes to cook, the dry kind have a better texture and flavour, and they are way cheaper to buy that way...so if you haven't ever tried cooking them from scratch, I encourage it.
It's stormy again today. Salad, anyone?
Warm Lentil Salad
1 cup dried lentils (green or brown)
3 cups water
1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved
1 red pepper, roughly chopped
12 mammoth green olives, pitted
olive oil
1/4 tsp crushed chilies
6 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 lemon, juiced
1/4 cup fresh dill, chopped (or about 2 Tbsp dried, I would think!)
salt to taste
lettuce
feta cheese (optional, leave out for vegan version!)
Rinse the lentils and put in a medium pot with water, bring to a boil then reduce heat to medium and simmer uncovered, stirring occasionally, for about 20 minutes, or till lentils are tender but not mushy. Drain in a colander.
Meanwhile, in a large pan, heat about 1 tbsp of olive oil on medium heat, and add the crushed chilies and red pepper. Saute about 1 minute, then add the tomatoes, garlic and olives and reduce heat to medium low. Stir occasionally and cook until the pepper is softened. Turn off the heat, and add lemon juice, dill, and salt. Add the cooked lentils and about 1 tbsp more olive oil, and stir to combine. Adjust flavours as you like.
Serve on a bed of lettuce, with grated feta on top if desired. Leftovers are great either reheated or cold, and could even make a good sandwich filling!
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