Lentils are
one of those ingredients that I have in my pantry for quite some time but that
never made me excited to cook them,… so I challenged myself to prepare a dish
that I would enjoy with lentils,...
Happy with
the result, I decided to post the recipe.
Ingredients
(~ 8 people)
-30 g
quinoa, rinsed and cooked
-30 g green
lentils (I prefer the ‘Lentilles Vertes du Puy), rinsed
-1 sprig of
thyme
-1 bay
leave
-250g
cherry tomatoes, chopped in 4
-1
cucumber, peeled and chopped in small cubes
-6 spring
onions, sliced
-2 lemons, juich only (you can add some lemon zest as well)
-2 bunches
flat-leaf parsley (~100 g)
-30g mint
-4
tablespoons of olive oil
-pepper,
salt, ras-el-hanout (optional)
Directions
1. Cook
quinoa based on instruction on the package. Don’t use too much water or the
quinoa will be soggy. Let cool down.
2. Cook the
lentils in a large saucepan, add thyme and a bay leave and cover with water.
Bring to a boil and simmer for 20-25 minutes, until the lentils are tender. Be
sure not to overcook. Let cool down and remove thyme and bay leave.
3. Juice
lemons and add the olive oil and spices (pepper, salt, ras-el-hanout (optional))
4. Wash the
herbs in cold water, chop most of the stalks off the parsley (roughly), and
slice it as finely as you can.
Pick the leaves from the mint and do the same. The best way to chop the herbs is to gather them into a tight
wad then using a chef’s knife to chiffonade them, cutting them in thin strips.
5. Add the
herbs, tomatoes, cucumber, spices, lemon juice to the lentils and quinoa
mixture. Add salt, pepper and ras-el-hanout if you like to spice it up a little
bit.
The
6. Serve at
room temperature. The flavor will improve if the tabouleh sits for a few hours.
Tips:
-You can use it as a salad, a side dish
or serve it as a dish with grilled chicken or fish.
-You can also scatter pomegranate
just before serving or add some feta.
-You can keep this several days in
your refrigerated. Perfect as a quick lunch the day after.
