Summer Garden Lentil Salad

If you're like me, the word lentils makes you think of soup and Indian food. It wasn't until I was told I should include some lentils in my dogs' diet that I actually bought some and started cooking with them.

There are three kinds of lentils. Red lentils are the softest and cook the fastest. Green lentils are the most common and probably the ones you've seen in soup. And then there's my favorite. The lentil that changed my mind about them—French lentils.

Unlike beans, dried lentils do not need to be soaked overnight. You add water or broth and cook. It's easy to put on a pot when you're cooking something else.

My picky-eater friend loathes beans. She doesn't like the texture or the flavor. If you're like that, you might want to skip the French lentils. But if you're open to a very healthy high-fiber food, then you might like lentils.

I've been making lentil salads for a few years now and had no idea that they're considered a national dish in France. I'm sure they're even tastier when eaten outdoors while gazing at fields of sunflowers or lavender.

Now that it's August, our garden is producing a lot of veggies. I believe celery is typical in a French lentil salad, but I used baby cucumbers for crunch because they're so delicious. We had a volunteer grape tomato plant this year and it's full of lovely tomatoes, which I used in the salad.

This is really very simple and the wonderful thing is that you can tweak it to suit your taste. Sometimes I add corn, which makes it very pretty and a little sweeter. Garlic lovers should feel free to add it, too. If your kids balk at it (Seriously? The little round lentils are so cute!) add a tablespoon of honey to the dressing to sweeten it up.

So here's my basic recipe. Have fun with it!

Summer Garden Lentil Salad

1 1/2 cups cooked French lentils (cook according to package)
1/4 cup thinly sliced onion
1/4 cup thinly sliced baby cucumber (or celery)
10-12 grape or cherry tomatoes, halved
2 tablespoons chopped parsley + leaves to garnish
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon fine French herbs
salt and pepper to taste

Combine the lentils, onion, cucumber, tomatoes and chopped parsley in a bowl. In a small cup, whisk together olive oil, red wine vinegar, mustard, fine French herbs, and salt and pepper. Pour over the lentils and toss. Garnish with parsley leaves.

Today's haul from the garden.

Before dressing.

Very simple.

After dressing.

COLOR ME MURDER, the first book in my new Pen & Ink Mysteries.

You can color the cover!

Welcome guest author Molly MacRae!

The Boston Globe says Molly MacRae writes “murder with a dose of drollery.” She’s the author of the award-winning Haunted Yarn Shop Mysteries, published by Penguin/NAL. Molly’s short stories have appeared in Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine since 1990. After twenty years in northeast Tennessee, Molly lives with her family in Champaign, Illinois.

Take it away, Molly!

***

A Lentil Salad to Make You Stand Up and Cheer

If you’re old enough to remember lentil salads of the health-conscious 70s, 80s, and 90s, then you’re probably backing away from this blog right now. The lentil salads I remember from that era were so . . . well-intentioned. People were on the right track, but it was a narrow track that didn’t go anywhere exciting. That’s always bothered me, because I like lentils. I love the peppery smell when they’re simmering on the stove. For years I’ve felt sure that someone, somewhere, could lift lentil salad out  

of the doldrums.

Enter Melody Gresham, owner of Mel’s on Main, the best (the only) café in Blue Plum Tennessee in the Haunted Yarn Shop Mysteries. Mel tackled the problem of the namby-pamby lentil salad the way she tackles any difficult problem – with her spiked hair rampant and chef’s knife in hand. The lentil salad Mel wrestled to the ground is full of bright flavors and a toothsome mix of textures. Her salad makes a great main course for vegetarians and can be vegan if you omit the feta cheese. Mel took on the lentil salad and she won. And although you can’t go to Mel’s on Main to give it a try, you can make her salad easily enough at home. Here’s the recipe.

LENTIL SALAD

Ingredients

1 ½ cups brown or green lentils

2 small waxy potatoes, cut into ½-inch cubes (about 2 cups)

3 ½ tablespoons olive oil

Half a medium cucumber, peeled, seeded, and diced

6 radishes, sliced in thin rounds

Half a small red onion, finely diced (½ to ¾ cup)

Large handful of fresh mint leaves, chopped

Large handful of fresh parsley, chopped

Juice of 1 lime (1 ½ tablespoons)

½ cup crumbled feta cheese

Salt

Black pepper

2 avocados, cubed or sliced

Rinse the lentils and put them in a saucepan with enough water to cover them by several inches. Bring to a boil and simmer until tender, but not falling apart, about 20 minutes. Drain and spread on a baking sheet to cool.

Put the potatoes on a rimmed backing sheet, drizzle with ½ tablespoon of the olive oil, and sprinkle with salt. Roast in the oven until tender and beginning to brown, about 20 minutes. Cool.

Combine the cooled lentils, potatoes, cucumber, radishes, onion, mint, parsley, and feta in a salad bowl. Add the lime juice, 3 tablespoons of olive oil, 1teaspoon salt and ¼ to ½ teaspoon of black pepper. Toss well. Top with avocado and serve.

 GIVEAWAY!

Do you have memories of lackluster health foods from years gone by? Can you think of a recipe you’d like Mel to tackle and give more punch? Leave your answer – and your email – in a comment for a chance to win a copy of one of the Haunted Yarn Shop Mysteries. Each book has two recipes and a knitting pattern. 

You can find out more about Molly at www.mollymacrae.com. You can find her blogging on the first www.amyalessio.com and on the 23^rd of each month at www.killercharacters.com.

Monday of each month at

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