With most salads, you pour the dressing on at the end and coat the dish from the outside in.
But in this salad, the lentils cool off in the fridge in a bath of dressing—in this case olive oil, vinegar, lemon and cumin. They absorb all of this wonderful flavor.
Ingredients
| 1 c. dried lentils, preferably Le Puy green lentils, rinsed well | 1 tsp. lemon zest |
| 1 clove garlic, peeled and smashed | ½ tsp. ground cumin |
| ¼ tsp. dried oregano | ¼ tsp. sea salt |
| 2 bay leaves | 1 red bell pepper, seeded and diced small |
| 1 cinnamon stick, or ¼ tsp. ground cinnamon | 1 small cucumber, seeded and diced small |
| ¼ c. extra virgin olive oil | ¼ c. pitted kalamata olives, rinsed and sliced |
| 1 Tbsp. brown rice vinegar | 3 Tbsp. chopped fresh mint |
| 2 Tbsp. freshly squeezed lemon juice | 3 Tbsp. chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley |
Preparation
1. Combine the lentils, garlic, oregano, bay leaf, and cinnamon stick in a saucepan and cover with water or broth by 2 inches. Bring to a boil, then cover, lower the heat, and simmer until the lentils are tender, 20–25 minutes. Drain the lentils thoroughly and discard the whole spices.
2. In a separate bowl, whisk the olive oil, vinegar, lemon juice, lemon zest, cumin, and salt together. Toss the lentils with the vinaigrette, then refridgerate for 20 minutes.
3. Stir in bell pepper, cucumber, olives, mint, parsley and combine. Season as needed with a pinch of salt, pepper or lemon juice. Serve with feta cheese sprinkled over the top.
This recipe is from The Cancer-Fighting Kitchen by Rebecca Katz. Copyright © 2009 by Rebecca Katz. Published by Ten Speed Press, a registered trademark of Random House, Inc.
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