Summer is coming and legumes disappear from my menus. I notice that I am not the only one to whom this happens, I talk with friends and family and everyone tells me the same thing. It seems that we don’t know very well how to incorporate legumes into summer meals. A pity because they are a nutritious and low-fat food that must be present in our diets, cold or hot. That is why I have encouraged myself to prepare my first lentil salad.
My intention this summer is to experiment with the subject and try to make different combinations using legumes. All to consume cold and suitable for hot days. I start with a lentil salad with a classic base, lentils, and vegetables, but incorporating lime and feta cheese to give it a different and refreshing touch.
Although it is preferable to use dried lentils and cook them ourselves if you do not have time for it you can always buy quality canned lentils and save some time.
In case of using canned lentils, it is important to wash them well under a stream of cold water for a good while. The liquid in which they are preserved gives them a peculiar flavor, but we solve it with washing. Once clean, drain and dry well so that we don’t ruin the salad with an unnecessary amount of liquid.
Peel a carrot and cook it in saltwater until, when pricked with a skewer, we notice it tender. Drain the water and cool it in plenty of cold water to cut the cooking. We cut it into small dice. Likewise, we chop the tomato into small dice. We can peel it, but the pieces are so small that you barely notice the skin.
On the other hand, we peel and chop half a purple onion into pieces of the same size as those of the previous vegetables. Mix all the vegetables with the lentils. Grate half a lime, squeeze its juice and add both to the mixture.
Now it only remains to prepare a mustard vinaigrette with which to dress the salad. In a large bowl, beat the oil together with the vinegar, the mustard, the salt, and the pepper. When the mixture has emulsified and all its ingredients are integrated, let’s water the salad with it and stir well. We serve with crumbled feta cheese on top.
With what to accompany the lentil salad
This lentil salad is a good alternative to the traditional salads to which we are accustomed. It can be served as a side dish of a meat or fish dish or constitute a dish by itself, in case you want to eat lightly but nutritiously. It is very refreshing, thanks to the addition of lime, which can be adjusted according to taste.
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