Thursday, May 26, 2011

lentil salad

A finicky computer has been keeping me away the past few days, but I wanted to pop in to share a quick recipe that's been in frequent rotation around here.

Lentils are a staple in our kitchen, making appearances in soups, alongside rice and vegetables, mashed in burgers or just served up plain. With the warmer weather, I wanted a way to still enjoy the taste and nutrition lentils have to offer in a cooler recipe. And so we mixed up this lentil salad. I especially appreciate this recipe as a way to showcase the garden's early offerings of fresh herbs!



Lentil Salad

The lentils:

1 cup French green lentils
1 clove garlic
a few sprigs of thyme
salt and pepper

Place ingredients in saucepan with 2 cups of water. Bring to a boil, cover, reduce to simmer and cook until tender, about 25 minutes. Drain any remaining liquid and remove the garlic clove and any thyme stems.

The dressing:

1/4 c. red wine vinegar
1/8 c. olive oil
1 tsp. Dijon mustard
a few dashes of salt and pepper
fresh thyme
chopped parsley

(I must admit I am guessing on the amounts for the dressing. The dijon mustard was running low, so we mixed the oil and vinegar right in the jar and shook it up. Feel free to adjust as needed!)

Combine vinegar, oil, mustard, salt and pepper. Pour over lentils. Stir in thyme and parsley. Serve warm or chill for later!


This recipe makes a great side dish for burgers, kebabs, fish or just about anything else you might be cooking up.

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2 comments:

Kathy said...

You know, I don't really like dijon mustard on its own, but I've found that when it's mixed as a dressing, I love the flavor. I'll definitely be trying this one out! Thanks as always for the great recipes.

Lauren said...

Making this for our bbq this afternoon. Thanks for the recipe!