Spring Lentil Salad

One thing that I love about spring is the freshness everywhere. Actually, that’s the thing that I miss most about living in an area with real seasons ~ that one day when the snow is starting to melt and the sun is out and you just know that spring is almost here. In California, we don’t have that day, but there still is a shift in the air and in the produce at the market. While I do love some root veggies (ok, especially in the form of fries 🙂 ) fresh young spring greens and herbs are pretty amazing.

This salad is an ode to those new green things everywhere: hearty and filling lentils combined with lots (really lots!) of fresh herbs and vegetables with a light dressing.

This is definitely the kind of salad that is easily customizable to your own tastes and the contents of your fridge. Have some spring peas? Toss them in! Leeks and oregano? Great! Add whatever you have and feel would be a fun addition.

My salad consisted of:

• about 2 1/2 cups of cooked lentils
• parsley
• cilantro
• dill
• red onion
• radishes
• artichoke hearts
• tomato

and the dressing was (use your own preferences, the approximate amounts that I used are below):

• 1 tablespoon hemp oil
• 2 tablespoons tamari
• 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
• 1-2 teaspoons Pepperman
• few drops of liquid smoke

If you haven’t yet tried Pepperman, definitely get some! It’s a great combination of peppers (bell, black, white and cayenne) and adds a nice kick to whatever you’re making. The liquid smoke definitely deepens the flavor a bit, so you may choose to leave that out.

Add everything to your dish, toss it together and enjoy. It’s that easy!

(on top of some marinated kale)

What other great combinations can you come up with?

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