This no fuss recipe is a nourishing and tasty way to get in your fibre and protein with the help of the mighty lentil.
Difficulty:👍👍
Cost: £££
Serves 4 people
150g/5 oz green or brown lentils
Or
1 tin cooked lentils, drained in a strainer and rinsed under the cold tap
Dressing:
1 tablespoon wine vinegar or lemon juice
4 tablespoons oil (use sunflower, olive, sesame or a mixture)
1 clove garlic, crushed
3 spring onions, or ½ a red onion, finely chopped
salt and black pepper
Choose from the following:
3 sticks of celery, finely diced
1 red pepper, finely diced
⅛ cucumber, finely diced
handful of frozen peas or sweetcorn, thawed
50g feta or goat’s cheese, diced
Handful of pumpkin seeds
Handful of sunflower seeds
- If you are using dried lentils, rinse them in a strainer under the cold tap, and pick out any small pieces of grit. Put into a pan, cover with cold water and bring to the boil. Cover the pan and let them simmer for about half an hour. They should be soft but not bursting out of their skins. Drain in a strainer.
- Put all the dressing ingredients into a bowl and mix well. Stir in the warm lentils.
- Mix everything in with the lentils. Taste and adjust the seasoning if necessary.
- Put the seeds into a dry frying pan and heat until they start to turn brown. Sprinkle on top of the salad.
Method
- If you are using dried lentils, rinse them in a strainer under the cold tap, and pick out any small pieces of grit. Put into a pan, cover with cold water and bring to the boil. Cover the pan and let them simmer for about half an hour. They should be soft but not bursting out of their skins. Drain in a strainer.
- Put all the dressing ingredients into a bowl and mix well. Stir in the warm lentils.
- Mix everything in with the lentils. Taste and adjust the seasoning if necessary.
- Put the seeds into a dry frying pan and heat until they start to turn brown. Sprinkle on top of the salad.
Ingredients
150g/5 oz green or brown lentils
Or
1 tin cooked lentils, drained in a strainer and rinsed under the cold tap
Dressing:
1 tablespoon wine vinegar or lemon juice
4 tablespoons oil (use sunflower, olive, sesame or a mixture)
1 clove garlic, crushed
3 spring onions, or ½ a red onion, finely chopped
salt and black pepper
Choose from the following:
3 sticks of celery, finely diced
1 red pepper, finely diced
⅛ cucumber, finely diced
handful of frozen peas or sweetcorn, thawed
50g feta or goat’s cheese, diced
Handful of pumpkin seeds
Handful of sunflower seeds
Try using dried or canned beans (e.g. haricot, black eye peas) instead of lentils. Just cook according to the packet instructions and substitute into the recipe.
To bulk it out into a more hearty meal add some cooked rice, couscous or bulgar wheat to the cooked lentils.
For a pop of sweetness try adding a little chopped fruit, e.g. pineapple, orange, apple, kiwi, or dried fruit such as raisins or sultanas. Or to add some more complexity to the flavours, add some spices to the dressing, e.g. ground cumin or coriander