Lemony Lentil Salad with Feta

My jar of lentils has been staring back at me everytime I open the pantry. I love them, but now that its gotten so hot, I'm really into lighter fare, like salads and grilled veggies...not the hearty soups I usually put lentils into. I wanted to try them in a cold salad, but I've only ever had red lentils that way, and didn't want to waste ingredients if it wasn't going to be any good. A quick google search enlightened me that there are tons of recipes for green and brown lentils out there, and I almost immediately found just what I had in mind.

This was every bit as wonderful as I'd hoped. It was one of those meals that made me question why on earth I eat meat, when eating vegetarian can be that delicious. Seriously, that was what ran through my head. I stuffed the salad into a whole wheat pita, which made it even more awesome and it was filling enough to be a complete meal. Eating Well gives the tip that you can make it up to 8 hours ahead. Don't ask me why only 8 hours, though. I took my chances and brought it for lunch the next day. It was just as tasty and I'm still alive.

I'm very excited to point out that this has raw onion in it. I have not been able to eat raw onion in 3 years since becoming pregnant. It was an aversion that didn't go away. It completely overpowered what I was eating and I was left for days with the taste. I kept trying it, with no luck. But raw onion can do so much for certain dishes, and I was determined to eat it again. This time, I used a small amount and soaked it first in ice water to remove some of the bite, and I was able to eat it!

Lemony Lentil Salad with Feta, adapted from Eating Well

serves 2 as a meal with pita, probably 4 as a side

1/2 cup green (or brown) lentils, rinsed and picked over

1 cup water

1/3 cup diced red bell pepper

1/3 cup diced green bell pepper

1/4 cup chopped red onion (soaked in cold water for 10 minutes and drained)

1/2 medium cucumber, peeled, seeded and diced (about 2/3 cup)

2 oz. feta (I used reduced fat,) diced

whole wheat pita, for serving

for the dressing:

juice from a lemon (2 1/2 tbsp)

1 tbsp dijon

2 tbsp olive oil

1 tbsp chopped fresh parsley

1/4 tsp dried dill

1/8 tsp salt

fresh ground pepper

Bring lentils and water to a boil in a medium saucepan. Cover, reduce heat and simmer until just tender, making sure not to overcook, about 20 minutes. Remove from heat and rinse under cold water.

Once lentils are cool, add to a bowl, with bell peppers, onion, cucumber and feta.

Wisk together all dressing ingredients together in a small bowl. Pour over salad, and toss.

Serve stuffed in pita bread, if desired.