Mediterranean Lentil Salad

"This is a delicious lentil salad that’s wonderful when served as a side as well as nutritiously satisfying when served as a main. This recipe makes a huge batch because we’d suggest you consider making it ahead of time as a side dish to pair with your meat or seafood throughout the week. The lentils in this recipe are cooked along with onion, carrots, and herbs. You can smell the deliciousness while they are simmering. Then we mix the drained lentils and vegetables with fresh raw onion, carrots, celery, tomatoes and more fresh herbs to give it some more freshness and crunchiness. Lastly, a simple dressing combined with olive oil, Dijon mustard, lemon juice and a little salt and pepper goes a long way."

NotesRecipe barely adapted from AllRecipes.com

Click here for the easy recipe

Serves8 People

Preparation Time15 min

Cooking Time25 min

Ingredients

16 ounces green or brown lentils, rinsed
2 cups carrots, finely diced and divided
2 cups red onions, finely diced and divided
4 cloves garlic
1 bay leaf
1 sprig fresh thyme or 1 teaspoon dried thyme
5 cups water
1 cup celery, finely diced
1 cup tomatoes, diced
1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped

In a medium saucepan, combine lentils, 1 cup carrots, 1 cup red onions, garlic, bay leaf, thyme and 5 cups water. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to low; simmer for 20-25 minute until lentils are tender but not mushy. Remove from heat and drain; discard the bay leaf and thyme sprig.
While the lentils are simmering, make the dressing by combining olive oil, lemon juice, Dijon mustard, salt and pepper; mix well.
In a large mixing bowl, add cooked and drained lentil and vegetables, the remaining carrots and onions, celery, tomatoes and fresh herbs. Pour the dressing over and mix well. Enjoy!