Green Power Salad

If I could only eat one salad for the rest of my life, this one might be it. It has all the things I’m looking for in a good salad… it’s colorful, has a great crunch, filled with bright flavor, and is chock-full of protein and healthy fats. This recipe is very forgiving (which was first inspired by The Sprouted Kitchen)– so feel free to mix up, add, or omit ingredients depending on what you have on hand. For instance, if you don’t have (or like) lentils, you can easily sub with quinoa. Another perk of this salad is that it’s super hearty and won’t wilt in the fridge, so it makes great leftovers for several days.

GREEN POWER SALAD

Photo credit: The Sprouted Kitchen

Photo credit: The Sprouted Kitchen

INGREDIENTS 

For the salad

  • 1 bunch of lacinato kale, de-stemmed and chopped 

  • 3 cups cooked French green/black lentils 

  • 1 green apple, diced 

  • 1 avocado, diced 

  • 1 english hothouse cucumber (or 3 persian cucumbers), diced 

  • 1 cup pumpkin seeds/pepitas 

  • 1 pint blueberries 

  • 1/2 cup chopped parsley 

  • 1/4 cup chopped mint

  • 1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese (optional) 

Lemon Vinaigrette 

  • 1/2 cup olive oil 

  • 1/4 cup lemon juice (juice of ~2 lemons) 

  • 2 tablespoons freshly chopped parsley 

  • 1-2 tablespoons Dijon mustard 

  • 1-2 tablespoons honey (or maple syrup) 

  • 1 clove minced garlic (1 teaspoon) 

  • Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper to taste 

PREPARATION 

  • To cook the lentils: Fill a medium saucepan with water and bring to a boil. Add 1.5 cups of uncooked lentils and simmer for 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until al dente (make sure to taste them to see when they are finished). When the lentils are finished cooking, drain immediately and set aside. 

  • Make the vinaigrette: Combine all vinaigrette ingredients in a mason jar and shake, shake, shake! Taste and adjust seasoning as needed. 

  • De-stem the kale, roughly chop, and set aside in a large salad bowl. 

  • Pour a few tablespoons of the vinaigrette into the salad bowl with the chopped kale. Using your hands, massage the kale for 1-2 minutes, until the it breaks down and turns dark green.

  • Add the cooked lentils, chopped apples, avocado, cucumber, parsley, mint, pepitas, blueberries and parmesan cheese (if using) to the salad bowl with the massaged kale. 

  • Pour additional vinaigrette over the salad and toss well to combine (you may have some extra vinaigrette). Taste and adjust seasoning as needed.