Lentil Salad Recipes

Steps:

• Whisk the vinegar, olive oil, mustard, salt, pepper, parsley and thyme together in a large mixing bowl. Add the warm lentils and bacon and stir to combine. Serve warm or at room temperature.;
• Pick over the lentils, rinse and drain. Place the lentils along with the onion, garlic, bay leaf, salt and pork into a large 6-quart saucepan and cover with water by 2 to 3 inches. Place over high heat and bring just to a rolling boil. Reduce the heat to low, cover and simmer until the lentils are tender, approximately 25 to 30 minutes. Drain any remaining liquid and discard the onion, garlic, bay leaf and salt pork. Stir in black pepper and taste for salt. Serve immediately.
• Note from Alton: Those of you who watched this program on the 17th or 18th will want to disregard one particular suggestion I made regarding lentils: don't feed the left over onions to your dog. It turns out onions are not good for dogs in any shape or form. I'm grateful to the fans who emailed me after the airing for setting me straight on this nutritional peculiarity. As for my own dog's ability to digest onions, well...she's more hog than dog I guess.
• Cook smart,
• Alton

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Line a sheet tray with parchment paper.
• Bring a large saucepan of water to a boil. Season with salt and add the lentils. Cook until just tender, 10 to 12 minutes. Drain and transfer to a large bowl to let cool to room temperature.
• Meanwhile, spread the squash in a single layer on the prepared sheet tray. Sprinkle with salt, drizzle with 2 tablespoons olive oil, and sprinkle with pepper and the sage. Roast the squash until it begins to brown, 15 to 20 minutes.
• Toss the mushrooms in a bowl with 2 tablespoons oil and salt and pepper to taste. Add the mushrooms to the squash and roast until the squash is tender, about 10 minutes longer. Toss in the walnuts and continue to cook to toast the walnuts, another 3 to 4 minutes.
• Whisk together the mustard, vinegar, salt and pepper to taste and the remaining 1/4 cup olive oil in a small bowl. Set aside.
• Add the squash, mushrooms and walnuts, parsley, radishes, apples and vinaigrette to the bowl of lentils and toss to coat evenly. Serve.

Steps:

• Cook some French green lentils.
• While they're still warm, combine with tomatoes, olives, capers and feta.
• Toss with a vinaigrette made with olive oil, red-wine vinegar, Dijon mustard, minced shallots and chopped tarragon.

Steps:

• In a saucepan combine lentils, carrots, onion, garlic, bay leaf, and thyme. Add enough water to cover by 1 inch. Bring to boil, reduce heat and simmer uncovered for 15 to 20 minutes or until lentils are tender but not mushy.
• Drain lentils and vegetables and remove bay leaf. Add olive oil, lemon juice, celery, parsley, salt and pepper. Toss to mix and serve at room temperature.

Steps:

• Rinse lentils well, drain. Place in a pot and cover with a 3-4 inches of water, bring to a boil, reduce to simmer. Check lentils for doneness after 10 minutes, but they should take about 15 minutes in total. You will know they are cooked if they still retain a slight tooth - al dente! (Overcooking the lentils is the death of this dish) Drain & rinse the lentils under cold water and set aside.
• In a small bowl, make the dressing by whisking together the olive, vinegar, maple syrup, mustard and all the spices (salt through cinnamon).
• In a large serving bowl, gently combine the lentils and dressing. Add the onions, cranberries and capers and stir to combine well. If using other add-ins such as herbs, greens, or cheese, wait to add until just before serving. Otherwise, this salad can hang out in the fridge for as long as a couple days!