In this bright, fresh salad, the humble earthy lentil is the star of the show, alongside a team of crunchy sidekicks. Flavour is simple, coming from lemon juice and fresh herbs, with bursts of crisp apple & celery. Toasted nuts & seeds tie it all together – my go-to combo is chopped almonds, along with sunflower, pumpkin & sesame seeds (if you’re in a rush, you can always chop up some shop-bought pre-roasted nuts)
For the fresh herbs, feel free to use a combo of what you have. I always love coriander, parsley and mint, but one of the perks of summer is throwing in lots of fresh basil.
I always have tinned lentils on hand for speedy meals, but if you’re using raw lentils, use 100g or 1/3 cup, cooked until soft.
1 x 400g tin of brown lentils
1 Tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp salt
¼ – ½ a small onion, finely sliced, to taste
1 cup chopped spinach or silver beet
1 cup celery, diced
½ a red apple, finely chopped
2 – 3 Tbsp toasted almonds or seeds
3 – 4 Tbsp fresh herbs, finely chopped
Drain & rinse the lentils, place in a mixing bowl or a serving bowl that you can mix in. Drizzle the lemon juice & salt over the top & mix.
I prefer my almonds & seeds toasted – chop the almonds in halves or thirds, then toast them, skins & all, in a dry, unoiled pan over a medium heat. Stir regularly until the nuts become golden – a little burning is quite yummy too. Repeat with any seeds you’re using. Remove from the heat once toasted.
Add all remaining ingredients to the lentils & combine well. I usually add the toasted nuts/seeds at the last minute, so they don’t soften up too much before serving.
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