Serves 4 to 6
French green lentils, or lentilles du Puy, are our preferred choice for this recipe, but it works with any type of lentil except red or yellow. Brining helps keep the lentils intact, but if you don’t have time, they’ll still taste good. The salad can be served warm or at room temperature.
WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS: The key to making a lentil salad is perfecting the cooking of the lentils so they maintain their shape and firm-tender bite. There are two important steps to achieve this. The first is to brine the lentils in warm salt water. With brining, the lentils’ skins soften, which leads to fewer blowouts. The second step is to cook the lentils in the oven, which heats them gently and uniformly. Once we had perfectly cooked lentils, all we had left to do was pair the earthy beans with a tart vinaigrette and boldly flavored mix-ins.
- low-sodium chicken broth
- bay leaf
- extra-virgin olive oil
- white wine vinegar
- coarsely chopped pitted kalamata olives
- Salt and pepper
- CUCUMBER RANCH - makes 4 cups
- medium slicing cukes or 2 English cukes
- salt
- full-fat sour cream
- mayonnnaise
- buttermilk
- minced chives
- chopped parsley
- onion powder
- garlic powder
- lemon juice
- Worcestershire sauce
- SALAD - serves 4
- slab bacon
- iceberg lettuce
- Cucumber Ranch dressing
- salt
- black pepper
- honey or agave nectar
- dried lavender
- fresh lime juice
- raspberries
- blackberries
- blueberries
- small whole mint leaves
- sea salt
- olive oil
- ***For the lavender dressing***
- peaches cut into segments
- feta crumbled
- red onion cut into rings
- romaine lettuce torn
- mustard
- fresh lavender flowers
- garlic minced
- balsamic vinegar
- fresh corn kernels
- Honey Vinaigrette
- olive oil
- white balsamic vinegar
- honey
- minced red onion or shallot
- black pepper
- How to Make It
- Lentils
- Potatoes
- Green Beans
- Tomatoes
- Goat Cheese
- Garlic Olive Oil Dressing:
- olive oil
- white vinegar
- each dry oregano and dry basil
- large clove garlic
- For the dressing:
- ⅓ cup canola oil
- low sodium soy sauce
- white distilled vinegar
- honey
- sesame oil
- squeeze of lime juice
- For the salad:
- frozen shelled edamame
- baby kale
- large carrots
- cilantro leaves
- green onions
- cashews
- Dressing Ingredients:
- red wine vinegar
- Greek Seasoning
- finely-crumbled Feta Cheese
- Salad Ingredients:
- baby kale leaves
- baby spinach leaves
- chopped cucumbers
- crumbled Feta Cheese
- crumbled Feta cheese
- capers
- thinly sliced green onion
- Dressing Ingredients:
- Greek seasoning
- Dressing Ingredients:
- ground cumin
- olive oil