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I decided that for my first foray into the wonder that is IMBB, this time hosted by Cathy over at My Little Kitchen, I would put together a refreshing, post-holiday lunch salad. After three weeks of house guests, with almost non-stop cooking, baking, snacking and general over-indulging, the thought of eating something clean and crisp was a bit of a relief.
It's a simple sort of salad really, and one with common enough ingredients that it's easy to throw together when the mood strikes. While it certainly packs a nutritional wallop as is, you could serve it on a bed of greens if you really wanted to feel virtuous and balanced.
Puy Lentil Salad with Feta Cheese
100g puy lentils
1 bay leaf
150g green beans, trimmed and sliced in fourths
1 carrot, peeled and diced
1 stick celery, diced
2 tbsp. fresh cilantro, roughly chopped
1 small red onion, chopped
75g feta, crumbled
2 tbsp. toasted sesame oil
1 tbsp. rice vinegar
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
1. Place the lentils in a saucepan with the bay leaf and 250ml of water. Bring to a boil, cover, lower the heat and simmer for about 20 minutes, or until the lentils are tender. Discard the bay leaf, drain the lentils, and leave them to cool.
2. While the lentils are cooking, chop the beans, carrot and celery. Put them in a steamer for about 10 minutes or blanch them in boiling water for about 1 minute- they should be crisp, crunchy and bright in colour.
3. Toss all of the cooked ingredients, along with the cilantro, onion, and feta, in a medium-sized bowl. Whisk together the sesame oil and rice vinegar and dress the salad. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Serves 2 as a main dish or 4 as a starter.
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