Salad Ingredients:

• 1.5 cups of French Lentils
• 1 medium carrot-chopped
• 1 rib of celery-chopped
• 1 red onion-chopped
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 sprigs of thyme
• Fresh goat cheese or vegan cheese (I used cashew cheese)
• Parsley
• Toasted walnuts

Dressing ingredients:

• 3 tablespoons of red wine vinegar
• ½ cup of olive oil
• 1 tablespoon of dijon mustard
• 1 finely chopped shallot

Method:

1. Combine lentils, bay leaf, thyme, and 3 cups of water to a pot. Bring to a boil and cook for 15 minutes
2. Add the chopped carrot, celery, and red onion and cook for another 10 minutes
3. While everything is cooking, make the dressing by combining all of the ingredients together
4. Once the lentils and other vegetables are cooked remove from the heat and top with the dressing. Mix well to combine
5. Top with toasted walnuts, parsley and cheese
6. Serve warm as a main or as a side

French lentil’s unique ability to maintain their shape and texture after cooking makes them the ideal candidate for this salad. Although other types of lentils are incredibly versatile and can be used in soups, stews, and curries, red, yellow, and green lentils tend to become quite soft and lose their consistency when cooked. For this reason, we only recommend using French lentils in this salad.