Lentil-Walnut Salad

Submitted by EdsGirlAngie

"This is a healthy, nutty lentil salad with great flavor and an appealing crunch from the walnuts and green onions. Keep it vegetarian by using vegetable broth if you wish. It's one of my favorites, and tastes best at room temperature."

 

• Ready In: 45mins
• Ingredients: 12
• Serves: 4

ingredients

• 1 cup dried lentils
• 1⁄2 large onion, quartered
• 3 whole cloves
• 2 cups vegetable broth or 2 cups chicken broth
• 1 1⁄2 teaspoons dried thyme
• 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 tablespoons walnut oil
• salt and black pepper, to taste
• 3⁄4 cup green onion, thinly sliced
• 3⁄4 cup walnut halves

directions

1. Cook lentils with onion half, cloves, broth and thyme until tender but NOT mushy (check after about 25 minutes).
2. In a large bowl, combine vinegar, garlic, green onions and oils.
3. When lentils are done, drain and immediately pour dressing over the hot lentils (it's important to do this while lentils are hot).
4. Season with salt and (lots) of black pepper; combine thoroughly, then cover and refrigerate overnight.
5. Just before serving add the walnuts; finish by adding a little more white wine vinegar or walnut oil if you like and garnish with flat-leaf parsley and more black pepper.

Reviews

[Gingernut]

I made this for our vegetarian guest at Christmas dinner. Really nice flavour. My only criticism would be that it is all one, drab colour and didn't look very exciting. Luckily it tasted great! Perhaps I will add some diced red and yellow peppers next time for colour. Also agree with the previous poster that some additional garlic would not go astray. Thanks for the recipe, EdsGirlAngie!

 

[Yogi8]

A delicious salad with wonderful flavors! The vinegar gives it a little tang, but the lentils are so mild, and I think the nuts added a bit of sweetness. I love the crunch of the nuts in this. I think it would have been MORE than 5 stars if I didn't over-cook the lentils (shame on me!:) though it was still edible and very yummy even when mushy. And I couldn't wait overnight either... I ate this a couple hours later, after it had cooled a bit. You're right, it's best at room temp or even a little warm. I chopped the onion when cooking them with the lentils, and didn't have walnut oil, so used olive oil. Sorry I messed with this recipe so much, but it's basically the same and I really was dying to try it. I'm so glad I did! Thanks for an EXCELLENT recipe, EdsGirl! Oh... Being a garlic-lover I also doubled the garlic called for. Yummm! Wish I had some leftovers but it's all gone!