Taking inspiration from my lunch-time salad, I thought we would make a bright legume centric salad featuring French green lentils -- high in fiber and protein, low in calories and fat, and if prepared correctly, utterly fabulous! Peppery, herbaceous, and crunchy -- a great base for a salad! An added bonus is that unlike other dried legumes, lentils are actually much more time efficient to cook.
How shall we prepare these lentils today?
First cook the lentils through. Then place in a pan with EVOO, white wine for cooking, and shallots over very low heat, to infuse a nice aromatic bent to the legumes. While they are cooking, let's roast some butternut squash and carrots with garlic, rosemary, and thyme to toss in with the lentils -- providing a nice brightness to the salad. Cube the butternut squash and chop up carrots. Place in a roasting pan with some EVOO, a diced up garlic clove, fresh rosemary, thyme, and sea salt. Roast at 300 degrees for 35 minutes or until golden brown and the carrots feel tender and caramelized. Combine your roasted veggies with lentils, some roasted walnuts for a crunch, and chop up some chives, toss those in the bowl as well. Then add some nice crumbles of French feta cheese -- the perfect creamy lactic tangy brine-y counterpoint to the roasted veggies and aromatically infused legumes. A simple mixture of good, honest, fresh ingredients that will be a satisfying midweek salad chock full of protein and fiber!
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