HI. Elizabeth, here. It's been so warm and humid here in the DC area, it's hard to believe it's mid-October. I love fall and am looking forward to some cool, crisp days like today.
This Lentil Salad with Feta Cheese and Salami is just the recipe for still-warm fall days. It's also hearty enough for cool days. As I mentioned in a recent post, these Trader Joe's Steamed Lentils are one of my favorites. You can typically find them in the refrigerator case on a top shelf above the vegetables. In our house, we use them either cold in a salad like the one below or heated and served with rice and some grated cheese. My friend, Amanda adds caramelized onions and rice to them.
This recipe is so easy! It only takes a few minutes to make. I love to have it for lunch on mixed greens. It also makes a nice side dish. This salad is one of those items my kids still haven't tried, but I keep offering it. If you have toddlers, preschoolers, or even young elementary-age kids, you might offer this salad deconstructed. They're likely to be more receptive to the individual ingredients. And remember, even if your child doesn't try a food after seeing it many times-don't give up. They might just try it eventually. When they do, you'll want to jump up and down and cheer, but resist the urge. As hard as it is not to cheer, remaining neutral creates a low-pressure environment for trying new foods.
Lentil Salad with Feta Cheese and Salami
Add the entire package of lentils to a medium mixing bowl. Break them apart with a fork or mixing spoon.
Halve the grape or cherry tomatoes. Slice the salami. I used mini finocchiona purchased from Cheesetique Del Ray, but you can use any type you like. Crumble the feta. Goat cheese is also wonderful in this salad if you prefer it over feta.
If I don't have salami or mini finocchiona, I make this without any meat and add sliced, toasted almonds or pistachios.
Add the halved grape tomatoes, sliced salami and crumbled feta to the bowl of lentils.
Make the dressing: whisk together 1 teaspoon lemon zest, 3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice, 5 tablespoons olive oil and ½ teaspoon salt, and a little ground pepper. Pour over the lentil mixture and gently mix all the ingredients together. If you don't want it lemony, omit the lemon zest.
Lunch
I like to have for this for lunch on a bed of mixed greens along with some bread (or in the case here, a croissant).
Let us know if you make this. We love hearing from our readers!
Lentil Salad with Feta Cheese and Salami
Ingredients
- 1 box Trader Joe's steamed ready-to-eat lentils
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes halved
- 4 oz feta cheese crumbled
- 4 oz salami cut into strips
- 3 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
- 5 tablespoon olive oil
- ½ teaspoon salt
- pepper a few grinds of a pepper grinder
Instructions
- Open the package of lentils and place them in a medium mixing bowl. Break up the lentils with a fork.
- Wash the cherry tomatoes. Cut each cherry tomato in half. Add to the bowl.
- Slice the salami. Add it to the bowl.
- Crumble the feta cheese into the mixing bowl.
- Wash the lemon with cold water. Zest it and then juice it into a small bowl using a hand juicer. Add the olive oil and salt and pepper and whisk the ingredients together. Pour the dressing over the salad and mix gently to combine. Taste and add more salt and pepper if needed.
Notes
Leave a Reply