Sunday, May 16, 2010

Warm Lentil Salad with Goat Cheese


I absolutely love this dish. It's yummy, crunchy, filling and good for you. I usually make it on Sunday's and then I have it there ready for lunch all week, or as a side dish, or just a couple of spoonfuls if I need a quick snack to fill me up.  I found it on Martha's website, she uses lentils quite a lot and I have tried lots of the recipes, but this is one of the best ones.  I have changed a few things from her recipe, mainly I use onions instead of shallots, because it's much cheaper and basically tastes the same and I use a whole cup of lentils, and different coloured bell peppers.

1 cup green lentils
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
3 shallots/onions, thinly sliced crosswise and separated into rings
1 carrot, cut into 1/4-inch dice
1 stalk celery, cut into 1/4-inch dice
1/2 red bell pepper, ribs and seeds removed, cut into 1/4-inch dice
1/2 yellow bell pepper
2 teaspoons coarsely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
2 tablespoons balsamic or sherry vinegar
6 ounces spinach, stemmed and coarsely chopped (about 2 cups)
Coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 ounces fresh goat cheese

Directions

Bring a medium saucepan of water to a boil. Add lentils, and simmer, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat 2 tablespoons oil in a large skillet over medium heat until hot but not smoking. Add shallots/onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until they begin to soften, about 2 minutes. Add carrot, celery, and bell pepper; continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are tender, about 5 minutes more. Stir in parsley, vinegar, and remaining tablespoon oil. Transfer to a large bowl.

Drain lentils, and add to bowl with vegetables. Stir in spinach, and season with salt and black pepper. Crumble goat cheese into bowl, and toss gently to combine.

1 comment:

No Princesses Here said...

I just made this for lunch today. It's so good! I'll definitely be making this salad on a regular basis.