Mediterranean Lentil Salad

Recipe: Mediterranean Lentil Salad

Mediterranean Lentil Salad is a refreshingly delicious, protein rich, hearty salad that can be enjoyed as a light lunch. Perfect as a vegetarian meal, with summer round the corner, these are the kind of meals that are easy to prepare. Enjoy it as a garden party or picnic salad. Did you know that lentils are a good source of protein? One cup of cooked lentils provides 17.9g of protein.

What Are Lentils?

Sometimes referred to as pulses, it is a plant known as legume. They are flattish almost like lens in shape. The most common types of lentils are brown, green and the red ones which are mostly sold in the split form. The others are sold whole. What makes them a popular ingredient for rice, soup and salad dishes is that the lentils cook pretty fast compared to other legumes. Commonly known as masoor dal in Hindi, both the whole and split ones are used widely for various dishes in the Indian Sub Continent.

Some Lentil Recipes

 

Sharing This Recipe With 2024 Alphabet Challenge Group

As we steadily sail through the journey of cooking alphabetically, we’ve reached Letter L. Almost halfway but not yet. With letter L the choice of ingredients beginning with L or dish names with L are plenty. It was a bit difficult for me to decide on which recipe to make. However, my endeavour to make a conscious effort to include more plant based proteins beckoned me to share a lentil recipe. I have to make a whole lifestyle change if I want to be healthy and strong for a longer time. Eating healthy is one of them besides including exercise in my daily routine. Truthfully, I do get a bit lazy when it comes to the latter. But slow and steady, as this is not a crash diet course.

The Alphabet Challenge So Far

 

What I Like About Mediterranean Style Dishes

I love the fact that a lot of veggies are used, olives and olive oil. And best part, it allows me to use my favourite feta, mozzarella and halloumi cheeses. Different grains are included in the recipes, giving one all 3 – Carbs, Protein and healthy Fats.

Some Recipes With L On My Blog

L Recipes By Members Of The Group

• Sneha’s Recipe: Lemon Rice/Chitranna 
• Food Lust People Love: Easy Lamb and Fresh Tomato Curry
• Culinary Cam: Lingcod Over Legumes 
• Jolene’s Recipe Journal: Lemon Vinaigrette 
• A Day in the Life on the Farm: Melody’s Homemade Lemonade 
• Mayuri’s Jikoni: Mediterranean Lentil Salad 
• Karen’s Kitchen Stories: Barbecue Pork Lo Mein
• Blogghetti Lemon Pepper Tilapia Sheet Pan Dinner 
• Faith, Hope, Love, & Luck Survive Despite a Whiskered Accomplice: Fresh Dill Deviled Eggs with a Hint of Lemon 
• Palatable Pastime: Liver and Onions 
• A Messy Kitchen: Lemon Balm Jelly

 

Ingredients Required For Mediterranean Lentil Salad

Lentils

I have used brown lentils that are sold in most supermarkets. It is best to soak any type of legumes before cooking them. This includes lentils though they cook fast. Soaking legumes removes phytic acid and enzyme inhibitors. This makes the legumes more digestible and also prevents flatulence and bloating. Also cooking time reduces when you allow legumes to soak. Generally, I allow lentils to soak for 30 minutes in warm water. Add the soaked lentils into a pan with enough water. Allow them to cook till done. Keep an eye as you don’t want mushy lentils. Usually 10-15 minutes is enough. Remember once the lentils are soaked and cooked they will be about one cup full.

Beetroot

Roast, steam or boil the beetroot. Peel and cut into small cubes.

Onion

Use any onion of your choice, red, yellow or white. I have used red onion. Peel and chop the onion finely.

Spring Onion

As I had some in my fridge, I used spring onion. It adds a slightly pungent taste to the salad.

Olives

Use olives of your choice.

Bell Pepper

Use any colour. Dice the bell pepper.

Cucumber

I prefer to use Persian or English Cucumber as they do not need to be peeled and also the seeds are tiny and super soft. If the cucumber you use has a hardy skin then peel it. Dice the cucumber.

Tomatoes

Can use any tomato but I prefer the baby ones. Cut into halves.

Mint

Fresh Mint adds is so aromatic and adds a refreshing taste to the salad.

Parsley

Can use flat or curly. I prefer flat as it tends to be much tender.

Feta

Crumbled or cut into small pieces.

Olive Oil

Use the best quality you can afford.

Vinegar

Use good quality vinegar like balsamic, apple cider or red/white wine vinegar. I used a raspberry vinegar which I had got from the Farmer’s Market in Magog.

Garlic

Peel and mince 1 small clove of garlic.

Salt

Add salt according to your taste. Use any salt of your choice. We will be adding some when cooking the lentils and some in the dressing.

Pepper

Freshly cracked black pepper adds so much flavour to the salad. So would highly recommend that.

Sumac

I used a bit of sumac to prepare the dressing. As the raspberry vinegar is not so tangy, sumac added the right amount of tartness. Sumac or summaq is a dark red astringent powder that comes from berry fruit of the Rhus Coriaria shrub. If you don’t have sumac it with some lemon juice.

Other options are za’atar, oregano.

Honey | Maple Syrup

Or any sweetener of your choice. I didn’t add any as the sweetness comes from the beetroot. Add if you want to.

Water

Warm water to soak the lentils. More water, about 2 cups for cooking the lentils.

 

 

 

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