Travelling Lentil + Sprout + Lemon Salad

   My love affair with lentils having reached something of a fever pitch, it seems high time I shared another lentil-based recipe.

   This salad has been saving my butt all week. I made the lentil base, courtesy of that spectacular mensch, Mark Bittman, and have been playing with that as a base for other creations. My experimentation came to an abrupt end, however, after making this variation, which I think is generally an indicator of a winner.

   
What I love most about it is the varying consistency: the crunchy radish, snappy nut or seed garnish (I prefer sunflower seeds), creamy lentils, crisp sprouts, and velvety avocado together make a balanced and frankly entertaining dish, probably one of my most versatile and texturally pleasing creations to date. I’ve had it for my past few meals—it’s heavy enough to be eaten alone, or it can be used as a side or topping for a lettuce-based salad. I think it would be good with a wild rice mix as well.

   Another perk to this dish is its rough-and-ready convenience—I’m in the middle of a busy week,  away for most meals. The lentil base has been in my fridge since Sunday or Monday, and I’ve been tossing my lentilly spin-offs in old plastic Chinese take-out containers and carting them all over town for my respective lunches and dinners since. In fact, the dish pictured here was boxed up and thrown in a bag for dinner that night, never eaten, and finally, slowly consumed between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. today. It held up beautifully, thanks especially to the lemon juice, which keeps the avocado pristine. (It was refrigerated a little in between, by the way).

Travelling Lentil + Sprout + Lemon Salad

1 cup dry lentils     

1 bay leaf

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 large lemon

2 tbsp olive oil

2 tbsp capers

¼ cup minced onion

Salt + pepper

1 package sprouts, or about 1-2 cups

1 large avocado

3-4 radishes, sliced thinly or chopped

1/8 cup sunflower seeds, sesame seeds, or almonds, optional

To prepare lentils:

Put dry lentils, bay leaf, and garlic in a pot, cover with about an inch of water and bring to a boil. Cover and simmer until beans are done but still hold their shape and are not burst, about 20-30 mins. Be sure water does not cook off completely and scorch the bottom of the pot.

    In serving bowl, juice ½ the lemon and chop the other half (after peeling, of course), and whisk with oil, capers, onion, and seasoning. Add lentils, drained if necessary, and stir.

  When lentils have cooled, add the sprouts, radish, and avocado. Garnish with nuts or seeds.

St. Jude approves.