Warm Puy Lentil Salad with Baby Spinach and Goat's Cheese

I love the way Lentils are used in Europe in salads - I had only tasted lentils in the form of Dhal ( curry ) but after being here for 6 years now I have tried them in many variations and this one is my favourite. Try it.

200g  peppers
225g   Puy Green Lentils
4 tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 red onion, sliced
2 tbsp Balsamic Vinegar
1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 tsp English mustard
225g baby spinach
100g pack  Goat's Cheese, roughly chopped

1. Preheat the grill to high. Place the whole peppers on a baking sheet and place under the grill. Cook until the skins are blackened, turning occasionally. To remove the skins easily, place the hot peppers in a clean plastic food bag and seal immediately until cool enough to handle. Remove and peel the skins. Cut off the tops, deseed and cut into bite-sized pieces.
2. Cook the lentils according to the pack instructions for about 15-20 minutes, until just tender. Drain, return to the pan and cover to keep warm. Meanwhile, heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a frying pan and fry the onion for 4-5 minutes until softened. Remove from the heat and stir in the peppers.
3. Whisk together the remaining oil, vinegar, lemon juice and mustard and season well. Stir the onion and peppers into the lentils and pour the dressing over.
4. Arrange the spinach spoon over the lentils and top it up with a little goat's cheese. Serve immediately.

Avocado, Red Onion & Orange Salad

 This is a nice salad for winter and a good opener for a heavy meal.

Serves: 2

For the salad, combine:

• 1 small head lettuce, torn
• 1 orange, segmented
• 1 avocado, cubed
• ½ cup walnuts, toasted and chopped
• 1 finely chopped red onion

For the dressing, mix:

• 1 tbsp. orange juice
• ½ tsp. orange zest
• 1 tbsp. lemon juice
• 2 tbsp. walnut oil
• plenty of ground pepper

 

Pea and Mint Salad with feta

The other day I was in a small pub in Glasgow and they served this delicious salad with a caralamised onion tart, I requested for the recipe and the chef obliged. Last night I made it myself and it was delicious. Here it is try it!!  The chef had used roman pecorino ,I used feta cheese instead of the pecorino. If you can't find fresh peas, use frozen thawed green peas.

• 2  cups  water
• 1  cup  shelled green peas
• 1/4  cup  chopped fresh mint
• 1 1/2  tablespoons  fresh lemon juice
• 1  tablespoon  extra virgin olive oil
• 1/2  teaspoon  salt
• 1/4  teaspoon  freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2  cup  crumbled feta

Preparation

Bring 2 cups water to a boil in a medium saucepan. Add peas; cook 1 minute. Drain and plunge peas into ice water; drain.
Combine peas, and mint in a large bowl. Add lemon juice, olive oil, salt, and pepper; toss well. Add the feta. Serve immediately.