Greek Lentil Salad

Lentils are a cousin of the bean, and both are a part of the legume family. All legumes are seeds that grow within pods. Lentils are shaped like a lens and can be used as poker chips. Lentils are fun because they come in all different colors and look cool in glass jars in your kitchen. One of the other great things about lentils is they don’t need to be soaked before cooking like other dried peas and beans, and they still have the same protein and fiber benefits.

Ingredients:

1 cup green lentils, rinsed and drained
1/4 small onion
2 bay leaves
1 large shallot, finely chopped 
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 small cucumber, diced
2 medium tomatoes, diced 
1/4 cup chopped fresh mint
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese

Place lentils, onion, bay leaves, and 6 cups water in large saucepan; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, and cook 25 to 30 minutes, or until lentils are tender. Drain, remove onion and bay leaves, and cool.

Stir together shallot and lemon juice in large bowl. Add lentils, cucumber, tomatoes, mint, and oil; stir to combine. Season with salt and pepper, if desired. Chill 1 hour, or overnight. Serve topped with feta.

Recipe from Vegetarian Times. One cup of this healthy salad has 7 grams of fat and 228 calories.