As the weather warms up I start thinking about different kinds of salads to replace some of the soup meals we enjoy during the colder months. Salads don’t have to be all vegetables. Lentils and beans tossed with some raw vegetables make for hearty flavorful salads that easily stand in for your main entree. Sometimes I will make three different cold salads and serve up a trio plate! They are perfect for casual entertaining. This new lentil salad recipe will surely show up on a trio plate many times this summer. It’s a little tangy, has some crunch from the raw veggies and is so filling and refreshing!
Mediterranean Lentil Salad
Nutmeg Notebook
I follow Debby @Happy Healthy Long Life who is affectionately known as the Healthy Librarian on Facebook. We have become internet friends over the years and we share a love for living a healthy lifestyle and trying new recipes. We both enjoy the same flavor profiles so it’s a sure bet that we will like each others recipes. To make this recipe even easier Debby suggest using a package of Trader Joe’s Steamed Lentils that can be found in the refrigeration section near the vegetables. I changed a couple things to use what I had on hand so you can see the original recipe here. This recipe is being shared with permission from Debby.
Mediterranean Lentil Salad
Nutmeg Notebook
Mediterranean Lentil Salad
SOS Free – salt oil and sugar free
1 package of Trader Joe’s Steamed Lentils
Or
1 cup brown or green lentils cooked with 4 cups water, 2 bay leaves, 1 tsp fresh thyme or 1/2 tsp dried thyme and 2 peeled garlic cloves. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer until tender about 20 minutes. Drain, discard bay leaves, remove and smash garlic and mix back into lentils.
- 1/3 – 1/2 cup sun dried tomatoes, soaked in boiling water until soft, about 20 minutes then drained and chopped.
- 1 cup diced celery
- 1 cup diced carrots – I used rainbow carrots for tons of color
- 1/2 cup diced red onion
- 1 cup salad tomatoes cut in half
- 1/2 cup fresh parsley, chopped
- 2 cups of finely shopped fresh kale
Dressing:
- 4 Tablespoons Balsamic Vinegar
- 1 lemon juiced
- 1 teaspoon ground fennel – I didn’t have ground so I took fennel seeds and rushed them up using a mortar and pestle
- 1 teaspoon Stone Ground Mustard no salt added
- ground black pepper to taste
- 1 teaspoon Table Tasty or some other kind of no salt seasoning
If you used Trader Joe’s steamed lentil then add the following,
- 2 minced garlic cloves
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
In a large bowl mix the lentils, vegetables and herbs together. Whisk together the dressing ingredients and toss with the lentil veggie mixture. Serve immediately or chill.
Recipe adapted from Debby @Happy Healthy Long Life and shared with her permission.
Nutmeg Notes
After two months of being housebound from a back injury hubby Tom was given the okay to resume hiking! We headed out in the great outdoors for a fabulous hike last week. It felt so good to move and challenge our bodies. Plus there is something about being out in nature that just recharges our battery and makes us feel amazing.
American River Canyon
Nutmeg Notebook
American River Canyon
Nutmeg Notebook
It is a beautiful time of year to hike as the wildflowers are in full bloom which makes for spectacular scenes like this.
I hope you are enjoying Spring and getting some time outdoors!
Blessings,
Tami
Hi Tami! I’ve been seeing your name pop up on all the same sites I regularly follow, and recently started following your blog directly since I know that you’re eating SOS WFPB. Just saw that you enjoyed hiking in AR Canyon, so we live somewhat near each other. I’m in Davis. My hubby and I regularly go to the Donner Lake area and enjoy hiking in the Sierras. So inspired to hear your results with Chef AJ’s program.
Thanks for sharing tips, recipes, and good info. Hugs! – Karen
Hi Karen,
Yes we do live nearby as I am in Roseville. Its so good to know there is someone else locally who is eating SOS Free and WFPB. This is such a wonderful area for hiking.
I am delighted that you found my blog and decided to follow. I feel a little isolated following this way of eating when our friends are still following the SAD. That’s why my on line relationships with other like-minded people are so important. Do you have friends in your real life that are SOS WFPB?
Last week we had a meet up with a handful of local people who are following the UWL program and it was so energizing.
I hope you will stay in touch and perhaps we can meet up one day too!
Hugs – Tami
Hi Tami,
I follow HHLL, too, since beginning my WFPB journey 5 years ago. The community has been invaluable for keeping me on track. Just made this salad and it’s delicious – my minor changes based on ingredients on hand: no tomatoes, instead used chopped red pepper in salad and 1 TBSP tomato paste in dressing; spinach instead of kale. Scrumptious, as you would say 😉
I am so happy to hear you have made positive changes to your plant-based journey and are seeing some weight loss, which you previously stated was your challenge. It is very easy in the beginning to believe that all will be well as long as you stick to plants, but that was not the case for me as an older woman. I now eliminate flours/cracked grains (sure miss those tamale corn muffins from Jane and Ann’s cookbook!), strive to eat low on the glycemic scale (no smoothies), and have given up snacking – just 3 meals/day. I tapped into these tips through Susan Peirce Thompson, and Chef AJ’s tele lectures.
I find your site and IG inspiring – love your cooking tips and if you have recommended a family friendly recipe, it usually works great for us, too.
All best with continued success for good health!
Hi Bonnie,
Thank you for such heartwarming comments.You really made my day. It sounds like we have had a similar experience with being middle aged, weight and diet changes. Following Chef AJ’s UWL plan has been life changing for me. My weight has been such an issue for my entire adult life and made even worse since being diagnosed with hypothyroidism. I was about ready to give up on ever being slim again until I joined the UWL program. Like you the flour, sugar and high fat foods are out of my diet. At first that was a difficult thing to wrap my mind around. Now since I have experienced weight loss – down 19 pounds so far – I have no cravings for the processed foods anymore. I have no desire to go back to that way of eating. None of that food is worth giving up how I feel. I finally have my energy back and can be the active person I want to be. It’s amazing what a profound change diet has made in our lives.
Thank you so much for taking the time to leave me a comment. It’s wonderful to get feedback and to know that my posts are helping someone else. I adore Debby the Healthy Librarian and have learned so much from following her.
Have a beautiful healthy day!
Tami