Recipe | Baby Greens with Lentils and Quick Pickled Onions
Hello, friends! How was your weekend? Mine flew by, and I didn't accomplish everything I set out to do. The flower farm doesn't actually open until May, so that plan fell through. I don't know why I thought the flower farm on the other side of town would magically be green and producing floral bounty when our gardens are still barren and brown... I'll just have to put that new blog series on hold until May! We did spend lots of time together as a family on Saturday, and went to the farmer's market (and the auction...of course!), and then visited Joe's family in WV. I spent most of Sunday in the car, driving to Roanoke and back to visit with Beth. We had brunch at Local Roots Restaurant, and chatted the hours away...planning and scheming for our August workshop.
I picked up these baby greens at the Purcellville Community Market this weekend...I cannot wait until more produce is available from local farmers. Nothing compares to fresh greens...they're so crunchy, full of flavor, and they just taste young and new! I'm a salad person (and thankfully, Joe is too, so I can get away with salad dinners), and am always looking for healthy ways of adding protein into the mix. For yesterday's lunch, I decided that I'd boil some lentils and quick pickle onions and he result was a deliciously simple salad. Here's what I did:
Baby Greens with Lentils and Quick Pickled Onions
Ingredients
- 1 cup lentils
- water
- 4 cloves garlic, peeled
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 sprig fresh thyme
- baby greens
- quick pickled onions (recipe coming tomorrow!)
- olive oil
- salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
- First, cook the lentils. Dump lentils into a pot and add 3 times water, garlic cloves, bay leaves, thyme, and a bit of salt. Cook for about 20 minutes. Check occasionally as you may need to add water, and you certainly don't want to overcook them. When finished, drain and allow to cool. I added more salt after they were cooked since I like salt.
- Rinse and dry baby greens. Make your salad....place greens in salad bowl, add a pile of lentils and a few pickled onion slices. Then drizzle with olive oil and a bit of the onion brine. Add salt & pepper. Et voila! Your salad is ready to enjoy.
What I love most about this salad is its fresh simplicity. The onions (instructions coming tomorrow) add a delicious tangy crunch, and the lentils give it substance. And the greens...I've already gushed about the greens. I could eat them plain they're that good. Can't wait for next Saturday because I'll be stocking up for the week.
I picked up these baby greens at the Purcellville Community Market this weekend...I cannot wait until more produce is available from local farmers. Nothing compares to fresh greens...they're so crunchy, full of flavor, and they just taste young and new! I'm a salad person (and thankfully, Joe is too, so I can get away with salad dinners), and am always looking for healthy ways of adding protein into the mix. For yesterday's lunch, I decided that I'd boil some lentils and quick pickle onions and he result was a deliciously simple salad. Here's what I did:
Baby Greens with Lentils and Quick Pickled Onions
Ingredients
- 1 cup lentils
- water
- 4 cloves garlic, peeled
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 sprig fresh thyme
- baby greens
- quick pickled onions (recipe coming tomorrow!)
- olive oil
- salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
- First, cook the lentils. Dump lentils into a pot and add 3 times water, garlic cloves, bay leaves, thyme, and a bit of salt. Cook for about 20 minutes. Check occasionally as you may need to add water, and you certainly don't want to overcook them. When finished, drain and allow to cool. I added more salt after they were cooked since I like salt.
- Rinse and dry baby greens. Make your salad....place greens in salad bowl, add a pile of lentils and a few pickled onion slices. Then drizzle with olive oil and a bit of the onion brine. Add salt & pepper. Et voila! Your salad is ready to enjoy.
What I love most about this salad is its fresh simplicity. The onions (instructions coming tomorrow) add a delicious tangy crunch, and the lentils give it substance. And the greens...I've already gushed about the greens. I could eat them plain they're that good. Can't wait for next Saturday because I'll be stocking up for the week.
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