A few weeks ago I did a quick survey to see which recipe you all would like first—Pasta Carbonara or Lentil Summer Salad. The pasta won out, but the lentils were close behind, and I promised I’d get the recipe to you before the 4th of July, so here we are!
^^^ I meant to get this recipe up last week but these two keep me busy these days!
A few weeks ago I had an idea for lentil salad stuck in my head and just HAD to make it. I tinkered around with a few ingredients and out came a delicious salad. I brought it over to my Mom and Dad’s house for a family dinner and everyone loved it. It’s easy to put together, and pretty quick too. I like that it is a side dish salad that could be a vegan main dish at a potluck—I always try to bring a dish that I could eat if there was nothing else vegan at the party!
Speaking of parties…Each year my parents host a huge 4th of July party! David and I will be bringing some Field Roast veggie burgers to grill.
We got our burgers at Whole Foods a few weeks ago and also got to try them at Field Roast’s open house this weekend. It was a fun event—we got to build our own burgers, tour their new factory, and also got to sample ice cream sandwiches from Seattle Cookie Counter. Fun night!
^^^ These two are excited to BBQ with Grandma this week!
Ok, here’s the salad recipe—hope you have a chance to bring this to one of your summer potlucks!
Lentil Salad
Lentils
1 c lentils
2 c water
1 t salt
1 t onion powder
½ t garlic powder
Dressing
1 tsp onion powder
3 T white wine vinegar
4 T olive oil
2 cloves garlic minced
1 t Dijon mustard
1 T agave
salt and pepper
Salad ingredients
1 cup cooked brown rice (I use the 90 second rice bowls from Costco!)
1 ½ c grapes, sliced in half (check out this cool trick)
1 c diced mango or nectarines
2 stalks celery, chopped
2 green onions sliced (scallions)
½ cup toasted walnuts, chopped
Rinse lentils. Place in medium sauce pan with the water, salt, onion and garlic powders and bring to a boil. Reduce to low and cover. Allow to simmer until all water is absorbed. If they are still too al dente, add another half cup of water and continue to simmer until they are the desired consistency. Drain and rinse under cold water and set aside.
In the meantime, whisk together all dressing ingredients in a large bowl.
Add lentils and remaining salad ingredients to the bowl and toss well. If you have time, allow to sit for an hour or two for the flavors to mingle. You can prep this the night before, but I like it best on it’s first day! The leftovers taste great, but the colors aren’t as vibrant. Enjoy!
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[…] They are perfect for use in soups and dal (like my Mango Lentil Dal), but for a firmer texture in salads you might want to use green, brown, or black […]