Vegan French Lentil Salad

Light, sexy, simple and tasty.  I think this is a great year round salad recipe that is great for pot luck dinners and picnics (sigh....oh the thought of a picnic in the middle of a Chicago winter...).

I have been doing so many Italian dishes lately, I thought I would lighten things up with a great lentil salad.  I feel like lentils are overlooked.  Of course, a great lentil soup is, well, great.  But come on!  There are many other things that you can do with this legume!

As for a plant based diet, lentils should never be overlooked!!  30% of their calories are protein!  Hello!  They are also rich in fiber, folate, vitamin B, minerals and iron.  Really, there is no reason not to cook with them!

With this salad, add some fresh dill and thyme, some diced veggies and dressing and you are good to go!

 Vegan French Lentil Salad

 

Ingredients/Directions: (yields 4 servings)

1 c french lentils

2 c water or vegetable broth

1 carrot peeled and chopped

1 celery stalk chopped

1/2 cucumber chopped

3 tsp fresh thyme chopped

1 tbsp fresh dill chopped

dressing

3 tbsp red wine vinegar

3 tbsp evoo

1 tbsp dijon mustard

1 garlic clove minced

s+p

In a small pot, bring water and lentils to a boil, turn to simmer, cover and let cook for about 20 minutes or until liquid is absorbed.  

In meantime, make the dressing by whisking all the ingredients together, adjusting seasoning and the amount of vinegar/evoo to taste.

Once lentils are cooked, transfer to bowl and let stand for about 10-15 minutes to cool down (optional).  Toss in vegetables, thyme and dill and mix with your dressing.  Transfer to refrigerator or serve warm/room temp. 

That's it!  Easy, healthy and tasty!