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Course Salads
Difficulty Easy
Pulse Type Lentils
Specialty Diet Vegan, Vegetarian
Occasion 4th of July, Canada Day
Nutrition 1/2 cup serving, 300 calories or less, 500 calories or less, 7g+ protein
Category Meal Prep Recipes
Recipe Contributed By Detoxinista

Nutrition

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The Best Lentil Potluck Salad

Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 5 minutes
servings

Ingredients

Dressing:

  • 1/4 cup olive oil
  • 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar, raw
  • 1 tbsp maple syrup
  • 1 tbsp mustard, stone-ground
  • 2 small cloves garlic
  • 2 tsp salt, sea, fine

Salad:

  • 2 pounds lentils, brown, cooked (2 cups dry is about 6 cups cooked)
  • 1 1/2 cups cucumber, diced
  • 1 1/2 cups onion, red; diced
  • 1 1/2 cups bell pepper, red; diced
  • 3 stalks celery, diced
  • 1 cup raisins, golden (optional)
  • 1 cup almonds, sliced (optional)
  • arugula, for serving (optional)
  • black pepper, to taste

Instructions

  • To prepare the dressing, combine all of the dressing ingredients in a blender and blend until completely smooth. The dressing will be very salty and acidic, so I don't recommend tasting it until after you've poured it over the huge amount of vegetables in this salad, which will dilute the flavor significantly. (You can adjust any seasonings to taste later.)
  • If cooking the brown lentils from scratch, combine 2 cups of dry brown lentils with 5 cups of water and bring them to a boil over high heat. Once boiling, lower the heat to a simmer and cook uncovered until the lentils are tender, about 20 minutes. Be sure to watch the pot and add more water, if needed, to keep the lentils covered. Drain any excess water from the lentils and rinse them with cold water to stop the cooking process.
  • In a large mixing bowl, stir together the cooked lentils, cucumber, onion, pepper, and celery. (I like to dice them into very small pieces so they are all about the same size.) Pour the dressing over the top, toss well, and adjust any seasoning to taste. You can serve this salad as-is, or add in the option raisins and almonds for a little added sweetness and crunch. Store the salad in the fridge for up to a week, and if you'd like to add some extra greens to the mix, serve it over a bed of arugula or any other green you like. (Just don't mix the leafy greens into your stored salad, as they are prone to wilting once they get moist.) This salad should keep well for up to one week when stored in the fridge, so I hope you'll enjoy it as an easy make-ahead packed meal!
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