Why is it that lentils are such a fall legume to me? I know we love warm meals the colder it starts to get, but we still can't go wrong with a GOOD, flavorful salad. This is my Fall Beluga Lentil Salad. I chose this combo because pomegranates are officially in season.
It reminds me of back home in Syria because we'd be picking pomegranates off of trees at this time. So, this is a salad that is not only nutritious, but nostalgic.
We have beluga lentils, arugula, tomato, cucumber, Kalamata olives, radish, walnuts, and the best part - pomegranate seeds & pomegranate molasses.
It's a great vegan option of a salad, but please feel free to add a lean protein like chicken breast to this meal or even tempeh to keep it as a vegan option!
Let's get to the recipe!
Yields: 1
Prep time: 20 minutes
Total time: 25 minutes
This recipe is dairy free, gluten free, vegetarian, and vegan.
Ingredients:
1. ¼ cup of pomegranate seeds
2. ¼ cup of cooked lentils
3. 1 Roma tomato, finely diced
4. 1 cucumber, finely diced
5. 10 kalamata olives, finely chopped
6. Handful crushed walnuts
7. 1 radish, finely diced
Dressing:
8. 2 TBSPs extra virgin olive oil
9. ½ TSP pomegranate molasses
10. ½ squeezed lemon
11. Salt
12. Less than 1/4 TSP lemon pepper
13. ¼ TSP dried mint
Instructions:
1. First, grab a mixing bowl to add the ingredients in. Add every ingredient in, but leave the walnuts until the end.
2. Prepare the dressing and pour it onto the salad. Mix well.
3. Transfer the salad to a serving bowl. Add the crushed walnuts.
