Thursday, March 3, 2011

LENTIL SALAD W/ARUGULA & LEMON VINAIGRETTE

This recipe is from the cookbook of one of my favorite restaurants here in Orange County called Zov's Bistro.  Their food is inspired by the flavors of the Mediterranean and Middle Eastern cuisines.  I love it because it's so healthy, so flavorful, and all the ingredients are found in Creation.
Stick exactly to the recipe and don't skimp on the ingredients and you will find such an unbelievable balance of flavors that gets better and better with each bite!





Lentil Salad w/Arugula & Lemon Vinaigrette:
by Zov Kabamardian

Lemon Vinaigrette:
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
3 tablespoons white wine vinegar
1 garlic clove, minced
1 tablespoon minced shallot
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

Salad:
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups dried green lentils
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
3 celery stalks, thinly sliced diagonally
2 yellow crookneck squash, thinly sliced diagonally
8 greet onions, thinly sliced diagonally
1 small red onion, thinly sliced
1 red bell pepper, seeded and cut into matchstick-size shapes
1 carrot, peeled and thinly sliced diagonally
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1/2 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley
2 cups red and yellow teardrop tomatoes, halved
1 1/2 cups baby arugula coarsely chopped
1 cup crumbled feta

To make the lemon vinaigrette: Whisk the lemon juice, vinegar, garlic, shallot, salt and pepper in a large bowl to blend.  Gradually whisk in the oil.  Set the vinaigrette aside.

To make the salad: Bring 3 cups of water to a boil, add the salt.  Add the lentils.  Reduce the heat to medium-low.  Cover and simmer gently until the lentils are just tender, about 15 minutes.  Drain well.  Toss the lentils with the oil in a large bowl to coat.  Cool completely.

Toss the lentils with the celery, squash, green onions, red onion, bell pepper, carrot, cilantro, and parsley.  Add the tomatoes, arugula, and feta cheese.  At this point, the salad will keep for several days, covered and the refrigerated.  To serve, whisk the vinaigrette again to blend, then toss the salad with enough vinaigrette to coat.  Season the salad to taste with a little more salt and pepper if desired, serve!

NOTES:  A few lentils go a long way.  As they cook, they expand to three times their original volume!  Watch the lentils as they cook to make sure they do not overcook, as they tend to become very mushy quickly.




3 comments:

  1. Looks delicious! How do you get your kids to eat so healthy?

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  2. Hey Codie!! Well, Jake tried a little bit and thought it was ok. Leo didn't try it. There's only been a couple of things I've made that the kids like...but we keep trying!!

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