Lentil Salad with Spinach and Walnuts

A girlfriend of mine had been raving for months about this lentil salad recipe.  She'd made it over and over and kept telling me I had to try it. I think she gave me the recipe at one time and I put in "the pile".  I don't know if you have one, but those of us who cook a lot have a pile of recipes that we want to try.  The recipe went into the pile and was never seen again. Months later she gave me the recipe again, and I decided not to put it in the pile, but to just make it right then and there. I knew she would not be happy until I made it, so I was able to make her happy and discover that yes, she was right, this is a great tasting salad.  Now I can't imagine not having this in my recipe book.

I made it the week of Christmas, and was so glad I did because we were eating so much rich food, dishes we don't normally eat, and we needed something really healthy to break the cycle of holiday eating.  This dish is really good when you first make it, but I found out that leaving it in the refrigerator for a couple of days makes it so much better. I think I will probably always try and make it ahead of time because the flavor becomes more intense because the vinaigrette absorbs into the lentils.

The combination of ingredients sounds a little strange, but somehow they all go together beautifully.  This original recipe is from Cooks Illustrated but I did my usual thing and changed it up to my liking.  After all, a recipe is only a guide.  Make it your own. 

I like to use a stock to cook the lentils because it adds more flavor to the finished dish, but you can use water if you choose.  

Ingredients: 
1 cup green lentils, rinsed and picked through
1 bay leaf
2 cups vegetable stock, or water
1 tsp salt 
pinch of pepper
2 whole garlic cloves  
1 bunch of spinach 
1/3 cup walnuts, toasted
1/2 cup grated Parmesan      
3 tbsp sherry vinegar
5 tbsp olive oil 
1 small shallot, finely minced
salt and pepper

In a saucepan, cook the lentils in the stock with the bay leaf, garlic, salt and pepper. They should take approximately 22 minutes, but test for doneness.  Don't over cook them or they will get mushy.  Remove the bay leaf and garlic.  

Cook the spinach, drain off any excess moisture, chop small.  If you don't want to go to the trouble of cooking fresh spinach you could always use a package of frozen chopped spinach, just be sure to drain it well.  

Toast the walnuts in a saucepan on top of the stove.  Watch it closely. Toss every minute of so until they just start to turn brown and you can smell them.   Cool.  Chop into small pieces. 

Grate the Parmesan.

Make the vinaigrette by combining the vinegar, olive oil, shallot, salt and pepper.   

Now combine if all in a large bowl, and toss well. 

If you can, allow it to sit so the flavors can marinate.  If you're going to eat right away it can sit at room temp for awhile. You can also make it ahead of time, cover and store it in the refrig.  I like to take the chill off before eating, so I heat it very slightly. Not so much to get it hot, only to make it room temp or very slightly warm. 

Is this a great recipe when you need a nutritionally dense bite.  It contains lots of fiber and good fat so it will fill you up and give you energy.  Smile when you eat it because you are doing something really good for your body!