Description
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups cooked, cold lentils ( 3/4 cup dry)
- 6–8 celery stalks, thinly sliced at a diagonal, save the leaves ( 4 cups sliced)
- 8 Medjool dates, finely chopped
- 3 green onions, sliced at a diagonal
- 1/2 cup toasted slivered ( or macrona) almonds
- 1/4 cup shaved pecorino (or parmesan) cheese ( optional, but tasty)
Dressing:
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 3 tablespoons lemon juice
- 2–3 teaspoons honey or maple
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds, toasted, crushed (or use ground cumin)
- salt and pepper to taste
- aleppo chili flakes, to taste (or regular chili flakes)
Instructions
To cook lentils, place 3/4 cup dry lentils in a medium pot filled with 3 cups of salted water. Bring to a boil, cover, simmer on low until tender, 20-25 minutes. ( Small lentils will cook faster, check after 15 minutes). Drain, cool.
Place salad ingredients in a serving bowl. Add dressing ingredients, tossing gently and well to combine.
Taste. Adjust salt, sweetness and spice level to your liking. Give the salad a little time for flavors to meld ( 10-15 minutes) and re-taste, adjusting.
Notes
If making ahead, be sure to taste again, right before serving- the lentils have a tendency to soak up the salt, so you may need to add more if serving the next day.
Lentils: Any whole lentil will work- I prefer smaller lentils like French Green Lentils or Black Caviar Lentils, but even standard brown lentils are fine here. Dont use split lentils.
If the dates are super soft, put in the refrigerator to firm up before chopping.
Nutrition
- Serving Size:
- Calories: 339
- Sugar: 26.4 g
- Sodium: 114.2 mg
- Fat: 14.7 g
- Saturated Fat: 2.3 g
- Carbohydrates: 47 g
- Fiber: 7 g
- Protein: 10.1 g
- Cholesterol: 2.4 mg