Carrot, walnut and lentil salad

Serves:

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cup French green lentils
• 1 carrot, finely diced
• 1 cup walnuts, toasted
• 2 spring onions, finely chopped
• 1/4 cup parsley, chopped
• 1/4 cup mint, chopped

Dressing

• 1/4 cup (80ml) extra virgin olive oil
• juice of one lemon
• 2 tbsp Dijon mustard

Method

Rinse the lentils and drain, place in a large saucepan and cover with water so it is 3cm above the lentils. Bring to a boil, reduce to simmer and cook for about 15 minutes.

While the lentils are cooking, make the dressing by placing all ingredients in a jar. Shake vigorously to combine. Drain and set aside.

Once the lentils have cooled, add to the remaining ingredients, toss through the dressing and mix well.

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Serving Suggestions

Note

• Check the lentils towards the end of their stovetop simmer to make sure they aren’t turning to mush – you want them to be firm and ‘al dente’.
• I am possibly a little heavy-handed with the Dijon, just because it’s my favourite dressing so feel free to knock it back to 1 tbsp if you are a little less enthusiastic about this ingredient!
• Some crumbled feta or goat’s cheese would jazz it up nicely for a sunny picnic, as would some steamed spring beans or asparagus spears.
• This recipe was created by Sophie Hansen for Kidspot, New Zealand's best recipe finder.  You can follow Sophie on Local is Lovely, Facebook, Twitter or Pinterest.