Lentil and Cucumber Salad
Legume consumption is often associated with winter stews, but incorporating them into cold salads opens up a huge range of possibilities for eating well all year round. They are digestive dishes, full of color, and very convenient to take to work, university, or on an excursion.
Cooking lentils at home is a much faster and simpler process than it seems. Although canned lentils in glass jars can save you in a pinch, cooking lentils from scratch in a good pot takes barely 25 minutes and allows you to control the exact point of the legume: tender but whole, without falling apart, ideal for salads. In addition, the market offers fantastic varieties for this preparation, such as pardina lentils, castellana lentils, skinless orange lentils, or the elegant caviar (beluga) lentils, which maintain impeccable firmness after cooking.
Nutritional properties
This salad stands out as a complete and very balanced dish, ideal for people with an active lifestyle or athletes:
Servings: 4 people
Preparation time: 35 minutes (25 min cooking + 10 min chopping and dressing)
Difficulty: Very easy
Utensils used: Vitrinor pot or casserole (allows uniform cooking over medium heat without the legumes sticking to the bottom)
You need:
- 250 g lentils (pardina or castellana variety)
- 1 cucumber
- 2 carrots
- A handful of fresh mint leaves
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- Salt and black pepper to taste
Step by step
Cook the lentils: Wash the lentils under cold running water. Cook them in a pot with plenty of water for 25-30 minutes, until tender but firm to the bite. Drain them well and let them cool completely.
Chop the vegetables: Peel the cucumber and cut it into small cubes. Peel the carrots and cut them into thin strips or slices. If you don’t like carrots completely raw, add them sliced to the pot 5 or 10 minutes before the lentils are done.
Mix: In a large bowl, combine the cold lentils with the cucumber, carrot, and chopped fresh mint leaves.
Dress: Add the 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil, the tablespoon of lemon juice, salt, and freshly ground black pepper.
Combine and serve: gently stir with a spoon until ingredients and flavors are well distributed. Serve immediately or let it rest for 15 minutes in the fridge to enjoy it chilled.
Options, alternatives, and variations
- Crispy and spicy touch: add some thinly sliced red onion to provide a contrast in color and a tangy flavor. Want more spice? A few drops of sriracha sauce or similar will make a difference.
- Caviar variety: try making it with beluga (black) lentils. Their small size and firm texture when bitten elevate the dish’s appearance.
- Mediterranean version: add some crumbled feta cheese cubes and pitted black olives just before serving.
- Extra protein: combine the mixture with a chopped hard-boiled egg or some pan-fried tofu cubes.
Enjoying healthy cooking is very simple when we have fresh and natural ingredients and a creative dressing. There’s a whole world to explore; prepare an extra batch of lentils during the week and you’ll have different salad versions ready in minutes.
