Hello lovelies,
there are salads you make because something needs using up, and then there is this one, which I make because I feel like it. Lentil salad with feta and mint dressing is on our table all summer long: substantial enough for lunch, fresh enough for 30 degrees, and it survives a lunchbox far better than leaves on their own.
Green lentils are the base, and the variety decides everything. They turn soft in 20 to 25 minutes but hold their shape, whereas red lentils collapse into puree after a few minutes. That is also the difference to my lamb's lettuce with apple and lentils, which takes on the same role in autumn, only with apple instead of cranberries.
I grate the carrots very finely, almost into threads, so they spread through the whole salad instead of sitting on top. Lentils and carrots are an old couple here anyway, one that shows up on the hob in winter as carrot lentil soup. In August nobody wants to hear about that, so exactly the same combination goes into the bowl cold instead.
The dressing is the real star: very finely chopped mint, olive oil, lemon juice and a spoonful of honey, and nothing more. The sweetness catches the acidity, the mint makes the whole thing feel like summer, and the salty feta provides the counterweight, just as it does in my vegan watermelon feta salad.
When I am cooking ahead for the week I make a double batch straight away and pack it into jars, dressing at the bottom and leaves at the top. My couscous salad with apricots usually stands next to it, so the lunchbox does not get boring.
I hope this salad becomes as much of a summer standard for you as it is for us. And while the fine grater is already in your hand, make my creamy kohlrabi salad with apple and carrot next.
