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.
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