We’re in the final stretch of winter.
The signs are there in spite of Mother Nature’s tantrums – spring is coming!
I’ll be glad to see this winter go; it hasn’t been a particularly great winter for me.
It’s not that it got too cold, on the contrary, I think this is probably the warmest winter we’ve had.
It was just an odd winter.
I went through a phase of slothfulness this winter, through a long languid phase of nothingness and stretches of procrastination. To be fair, it wasn’t all winter’s fault, it was just the space of mind I was in.
Things are starting to look up though, I feel that I’m coming out of it, and the longer days and sunshine will certainly help.

Lentil salad on flatbread with creamy mustard sauce

What I loved about this winter however, were these wonderfully warm and satisfying salads I ate throughout.
Before this, most of the salads I’d known where light leafy fares more suited as appetizers, but oohh… these salads with their toothsome grains and legumes are also filling and comforting.
Take this colourful lentil salad for example; it’s blissfully simple and delicious, and plenty – enough for the whole week.
This salad’s got everything I love; lentils, crunchy peppers, onions and sun-dried tomatoes, and a tangy zesty dressing of lemons and pomegranate molasses.

The recipe is from the kitchn which is an amazing source for these types of salads.

[print_this]
Colourful Lentil Salad (from the kitchn)
INGREDIENTS

• 2 ¼ cups of Puy lentils (French green lentils)
• 4 cups vegetable broth (or water)
• ¼ teaspoon of salt
• â…“ cup of olive oil (divided)
• 1 large red onion, diced
• 3 bell peppers, diced ( a mix of orange, yellow, and red)
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• ½ cup sun-dried tomatoes packed in oil (with oil drained)
• 1 cup walnuts, toasted and chopped
• 1 cup flat parsley leaves, roughly chopped
• 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 2 tablespoons of nutritional yeast (optional)
• 1 lemon, juiced and zested
• 2 tablespoons pomegranate molasses
• 2 teaspoons flaky or kosher salt, or more to taste
• Freshly ground black pepper

DIRECTIONS

1. Rinse lentils, and add to a saucepan with vegetable broth and salt
2. Bring to a boil, then lower heat, cover pot cook on medium heat for 20 – 30 minutes
3. Check lentils 20 minutes in, and turn off heat when it’s cooked and tender and but still firm, it shouldn’t be mushy.
4. Drain lentils of excess water, and spread them out on a baking sheet to cool
5. Heat about half of the olive oil in a saucepan over medium heat
6. Add onions, bell peppers and garlic, cook for 4 – 6 minutes
7. Turn off heat, and mix in the sun-dried tomatoes
8. Add the lentils, and mix in the walnuts, parsley, red peppers flakes, nutritional yeast and lemon zest
9. In a smaller bowl, whisk remaining olive oil with pomegranate molasses and lemon juice with a pinch of salt
10. Add the dressing to the lentils and mix well.
11. Taste for seasoning and add more salt & pepper if needed.
12. Garnish with more walnuts & parsley leaves
13. Enjoy

[/print_this]