A lot of good things in life are unexpected, just like this salad. I’m not a huge lentil fan (only when it comes to eating dhal and rice) and was quite apprehensive when I made this but I thought the flavor combination would work and it did. Even more unexpected was the fact that hubby loved this!? Who would have thought it would go down so well. Strangely enough it was fresh but meaty and filling and quite substantial as a meal on its own. Great for those Meat Free Mondays, as leftovers for lunch, a salad to take to a Braai (BBQ) for Heritage Day or serve as a side dish with falafel, hummus, fresh naan and tztaziki.

Mediterranean Lentil Salad

Ingredients:

• 1 x tin brown lentils, rinsed and drained
• 1/4 butternut, chopped into pieces and roasted
• 1/2 red onion, sliced
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp ground coriander
• 1/2 tsp paprika
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 30ml lemon juice
• baby spinach leaves
• 1 tomato, de-seeded and chopped
• salt and pepper to taste
• yoghurt dressing: double cream yoghurt, water, cumin, coriander, salt.
• Mint leaves for garnish

Method:

1. Mix the drained lentils, butternut, red onion with the spices, lemon juice and olive oil.
2. Add salt and pepper to taste and leave aside.
3. To assemble the salad start with a thin layer of spinach leaves in a platter, top with some lentil mixture and repeat steps until you end with lentils.
4. Top the salad with the chopped tomato. To make the yoghurt dressing, take a few tablespoons of yoghurt and thin it to preferred consistency with a little bit of water. Add 1/4 tsp cumin and coriander to the yoghurt and salt to taste if needed.
5. Drizzle over the salad and serve garnished with mint leaves.

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