Recipe: French green lentil salad

Dietitian's tip: French green lentils can be hard to find, but their intense, earthy flavors are worth a search. Brown lentils may be substituted; they cook in less time and are more likely to break apart, so watch them closely.

   

Ingredients

Directions

In a large saucepan, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion, celery and carrot and saute until the vegetables are softened, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic, mustard seed and fennel seed and saute until the spices are fragrant, about 1 minute.

Add the stock, water, lentils, thyme and bay leaf. Raise the heat to medium high and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, cover partially and simmer until the lentils are tender but still firm, 25 to 30 minutes. Drain the lentils, reserving the cooking liquid. Transfer the lentils to a large bowl and discard the bay leaf.

In a small bowl, combine the vinegar, mustard and 1/4 cup of the reserved cooking liquid. (Discard any remaining liquid or reserve for another use.) Whisk in the extra-virgin olive oil.

Add the vinaigrette, parsley, salt and pepper to the lentils and toss gently to mix and coat evenly. Serve warm.

Nutritional Analysis

(per serving)

Calories	167	Monounsaturated fat	4 g
Protein	8 g	Cholesterol	0 mg
Carbohydrate	23 g	Sodium	214 mg
Total fat	5 g	Fiber	6 g
Saturated fat	< 1 g

MAYO CLINIC HEALTHY WEIGHT PYRAMID SERVINGS

Protein and dairy	1
Fats	1

• Mayo Clinic Healthy Weight Pyramid tool
• Mayo Clinic Healthy Weight Pyramid: A sample menu

DIABETES MEAL PLAN EXCHANGES

Starches	1
Nonstarchy vegetables	1
Meat and meat substitutes	1/2
Fats	1

• Your diabetes diet: Exchange lists

DASH EATING PLAN SERVINGS

Vegetables	1
Nuts, seeds and dry beans	1
Fats and oils	1

• DASH diet: Guide to recommended servings
• Sample menus for the DASH eating plan

RELATED

MayoClinic.com Bookstore

• 'The New Mayo Clinic Cookbook,' Concise Edition (Softcover)