You don’t need many additional ingredients to this hearty salad, and the fresh dressing makes it delicious.
Don’t eat lentils only on New Year’s Eve! This healthy and tasty legume is a versatile and delicious ingredient to include in your daily diet. It is most often used in salads, but it’s not good only with mayonnaise; it’s also delicious with lemon dressing, fresh vegetables and herbs.
If you’re prone to bloating, it’s a good idea to soak the lentils in water, as the water leaches out a lot of the substances that cause bloating. If bloating isn’t an issue for you, you can skip the soaking, as lentils cook relatively quickly without it.
Toss the lentils with the dressing while they are still warm after cooking, so they absorb the flavors as they cool.
Ingredients for 4 servings
For the salad
- 200 g lentils (dry weight)
- 250 g cherry tomatoes
- 1 long English cucumber
- 1 bunch of parsley
- 1 purple onion
- optional feta cheese
For the dressing
- 160 ml extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tbsp red wine vinegar
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 tsp honey
- 1 tsp Dijon mustard
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1 tsp oregano
- Salt and pepper to taste
Preparation
Soak the lentils the night before. (It’s okay if you skip this step.)
Cook in boiling water the next day over low heat, covered, for 15-20 minutes until tender. Strain.
Mix the dressing ingredients and pour over the still warm lentils, tossing to coat. Leave to stand.
Wash the cocktail tomatoes, and cut them in halves. Rinse the cucumber, cut in half lengthways and then into slices. Peel the onion, and cut into thin slices. Chop the parsley.
Add the vegetables to the lentils, mix everything together and store the salad in the fridge until serving.