Arugula Salad with Crunchy Garlic Lentils & Lemon Dijon Dressing

Arugula Salad with Crunchy Garlic Lentils & Lemon Dijon Dressing

Before I get to this lovely salad I wanted to thank every single one of you for your amazing emails and inquires about joining the Tumbleweed Farm CSA! We received so many responses it was overwhelming! It's rad hearing from supporters all over. If we could ship produce to some of you folks who live out of state/country we totally would! We feel the love from all over the globe and thank you all for wishing us well! With that being said, we're stoked to have some new CSA members on board and can't wait to meet you guys in person at Migration Brewery later this spring!  We still have 5 remaining spots left so if you or anyone you know (who lives in the Portland or Hood River area) is interested please leave a comment here or email us at tumbleweedfarmparkdale@gmail.com. Alright, who's ready for a rad salad? I know it sounds silly to get overly excited about "just" a salad but that is exactly what I'm about to do. This simple arugula salad is chock full of bright flavors and the added crunch from the roasted lentils takes this over the top. This is my first experience roasting lentils and I have to say, I think I'll be laying off the roasted chickpeas for a while with this (new to me) method! We sprinkled the greens with some local goat cheese and when the (still hot from the oven) lentils were added to the bowl the cheese melted and added a lovely creamy texture. We were in heaven! I hope you all love this salad as much as we do. Grab a fork and dig in!

Arugula Salad with Crunchy Garlic Lentils & Lemon Dijon Dressing

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes
Serves: 4

Ingredients

Crunchy Garlic Lentils
  • 1/2 cup french green lentils
  • 1/2 Tablespoon olive oil
  • 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
  • 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
Lemon Dijon Dressing
  • 1 clove of garlic, minced
  • 2 Tablespoons lemon juice
  • 1 teaspoon dijon mustard
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons honey
  • 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
  • pinch of fine sea salt to taste
Salad
  • 6 heaping cups of fresh arugula
  • 1/4 of a small red onion, diced
  • 1/2 of a ripe avocado, diced
  • 1/4 cup sunflower seeds
  • small handful of fresh (organic if possible) goat cheese
  • black pepper to taste

Preparation

  1. Preheat the oven to 400F.
  2. Rinse the lentils in a colander and then place in a saucepan with enough water to cover them about 2 inches. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until tender. About 18 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add additional water if the lentils soak up too much before fully cooked. Drain, pat dry and set aside.
  3.  In a small bowl toss the lentils with the oil and spices. Place in a single layer on a prepared baking sheet and roast in the oven until lightly browned and crisp. About 20-23 minutes. Toss the lentils at least once or twice throughout cooking and keep a close eye on them for the remaining 5 minutes.
  4. Combine all the ingredients for the dressing in a mason jar secured with a lid. Shake until smooth and well combined.
  5. In a large bowl toss the arugula with the rest of the salad ingredients. Add the roasted lentils and drizzle with the dressing. Season to taste with additional salt and pepper.

Notes

*Use this recipe as a guide and adjust measurements and ingredients as necessary. *Always taste test as you go. *Cooking times will always vary from kitchen to kitchen so keep this in mind. *Above all have fun in the kitchen.

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