Fallen Souffle

I am in love with cold salads, especially in the dead heat of summer, even though summer doesn’t officially start until June 21st, with 100+ degree temperatures for 3 days straight, I’ll call that summer So I am beginning a Summer Salad Series to highlight some of my new and favorite salads. This encompasses green salads, pasta salads, potato and egg salads. I will try and post one weekly and feel free to include your favorites as well!

One of my co-workers made this salad and said she thought of me, aww, yes I like weird things and by looking at this recipe it certainly looks slightly weird. I would not have put these ingredients together but then again, that’s why Giada gets paid the big bucks I suppose.

This is a great alternative to a meat meal as the lentils provide a ton of protein as well as fiber. The grapes add a wonderful sweetness and are my favorite part of the salad. The dressing is quite simple but I didn’t think it needed anything extra, which surprised me. I think since I have begun eating cleaner I have refined my taste buds a bit and can appreciate simpler flavors. I specifically want my veg sister to try this as I think it would be better for her then the daily bag of popcorn she has been eating

I only made a half recipe (full recipe is posted below) to try this and it lasted about 3 days as my lunch. Quite filling but still light at the same time. I got the lentils from the bulk bin at Whole Foods, they were called French Lentils and were like $1.50 a pound, can’t beat that!

Italian Lentil Salad
Salad:
1 pound green lentils
2 scallions, chopped (about 1/4 cup)
1 cup halved seedless green grapes (I used all green)
1 cup halved seedless red grapes
1 cucumber, peeled, seeded and diced
1 red bell pepper, seeded and diced
1/2 cup coarsely chopped skinned and toasted hazelnuts
2 teaspoons lemon zest (from about 2 lemons)

Vinaigrette:
1/3 cup fresh lemon juice (from 1 to 2 lemons)
1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

For the Salad:

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the lentils and cook until tender, stirring occasionally, about 18 to 20 minutes. Drain and let cool for 5 minutes. Place lentils and remaining salad ingredients in a large salad bowl.

For the Vinaigrette:

Place the lemon juice in a small bowl. Slowly add the oil, whisking constantly, until combined. Season with salt and pepper, to taste

Pour the vinaigrette over the salad and toss well.

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