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I was inspired to make this when I saw a similar salad and dressing on Lisa’s Vegetarian Kitchen. The mention of Lentils cause some people to gag, but I think they are delicious! They are naturally high in fibre, contain high levels of protein, and are a great source of iron, especially for vegetarians (or non red meat eaters!)

Lentil salad

This is a pretty easy yet tasty recipe and I’m pretty sure will become part of my regular repertoire! The dressing is genius and more like a sauce. It was quite tangy when I tasted it by itself, but once I mixed it through the salad it mellowed out. Also, I heated the dressing up which gave the salad a bit of warmth after a boot camp session in the rain, although it’s also great at room temperature. So fresh and healthy, enjoy!

Recipe for approx 4 servings:

Salad

• 1 cup of Puy or dark lentils (I am being thrifty and used black lentils from Waitrose)
• 1 small red onion, diced
• 1 red pepper, diced
• 1 courgette/ zucchini, diced
• small tin of corn
• 6 – 8 sun-dried tomatoes (in olive oil), drained on kitchen towel and roughly chopped
• approx 12 cherry tomatoes, halved
• 1 red chilli, finely chopped
• handful of parsley leaves, chopped
• handful of basil leaves, chopped

Dressing

• 1/2 cup  sun-dried tomatoes
• 1 clove of garlic, chopped
• 1/3 cup of balsamic vinegar
• 1/2 teaspoon of sea salt
• freshly cracked black pepper to taste
• 1/2 cup of freshly grated Parmesan cheese
• 1/3 cup of olive oil

Method

1. Cook the lentils according to the packet instructions. The lentils from Waitrose are covered with water, brought to the boil, simmered for 15-20 minutes, then drained.
2. Use a blender or food processor to combine the sun-dried tomatoes, garlic, balsamic vinegar, salt, black pepper and parmesan. Drizzle in the olive oil while the machine continues to blend.
3. Let the lentils cool a tad, then mix through the red onion, red pepper, zucchini, corn, sun-dried tomatoes, cherry tomatoes, chilli, parsley, and basil.
4. Stir the dressing through the salad making sure it’s evenly coated. (Heat up the dressing in the microwave for 20 seconds if you want a warm salad – the lentils will be warm also).
5. Pile into bowls and dig in!

1. Black bean and Quinoa chilli
2. Quinoa and aubergine salad to kick off National Vegetarian Week
3. Herb tabbouleh with grilled halloumi