Brown Rice and Lentil Salad Recipe

Hot summer nights call for cool, refreshing dishes, like this hearty brown rice and lentil salad. Dried cranberries, apricots, and pistachios add sweet and salty notes, while mint, parsley, and cilantro liven up every bite. Bring it along to a picnic or barbecue or serve it as a vegan main course.

Brown Rice and Lentil Salad

Yield: 2 to 4 servings
Active Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes

Ingredients

For the lentils: 
1 cup dried French green or brown lentils
2 cloves garlic, peeled

For the salad: 
2 1/2 cups cooked sprouted brown rice
1/3 cup dried cranberries
1/4 cup dried apricots, sliced
1/4 cup chopped parsley
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
1/3 cup chopped mint leaves
1/3 cup red dandelion leaves, torn (optional)
1/3 cup pistachios, chopped
1/2 small red onion, thinly sliced
Sea salt and freshly ground pepper

For the dressing:
Juice of 2 lemons
2 cloves garlic, grated
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
4 tablespoons olive oil

Instructions

Cook the lentils
Rinse lentils and place in a medium-sized saucepan with 2 1/2 cups of water and garlic. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, then turn heat down to maintain a low simmer. Cook, uncovered, until tender yet still al dente, about 20 minutes.

Make the salad
Strain the lentils and discard the garlic. Combine with brown rice, dried cranberries, dried apricots, parsley, cilantro, mint, red dandelion leaves, pistachios, and red onion in a large bowl. Season with salt and pepper and toss to mix.

Make the dressing
In a small bowl, whisk together lemon juice, grated garlic, salt, pepper, and olive oil. Pour over salad and toss to coat.

Photo credit: Paul Delmont