Black Lentil and Salsa Verde Salad

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Prep Time:

45 minutes

Number of Servings:

Recipe Source:

Alkaline Cleanse by Natasha Corrett ($24.95, Sterling Epicure, 2015) Photo by Lisa Linder

Ingredients

¹⁄₂ cups dried Puy or other lentils
1 tsp rice wine vinegar
3 Tbsp chopped sorrel leaves*
²⁄₃ cup mint leaves
²⁄₃ cup cilantro
¹⁄₄ cup olive oil
Finely grated zest and juice of 1 lime
1 ¹⁄₂ cups cherry tomatoes, chopped
Sesame oil, for griddling
2 cups chopped asparagus
Himalayan pink salt

Mint Yogurt (optional)

¹⁄₂ cup coconut milk yogurt
²⁄₃ cup mint leaves
¹⁄₄ tsp smoked paprika

Directions

Cook lentils according to package instructions. When cooked, stir in vinegar and set aside.
Next, make Salsa Verde. Put sorrel leaves, mint, cilantro, oil, and lime juice into a food processor or blender. Pulse until you get a chunky texture. Alternatively, chop and combine them by hand.
Transfer Salsa Verde to a bowl and stir in chopped tomatoes. Add a splash of sesame oil to a grill pan over high heat and grill asparagus on each side until soft and striped with lovely dark charcoal lines.
Put lentils on a serving plate and season with salt. Then, pile Salsa Verde and tomato mixture along with asparagus on top, with a final garnish of lime zest. If you’d like to serve this salad with Mint Yogurt, simply mix all Mint Yogurt ingredients together in a separate bowl and serve alongside.

Notes

*Sorrel is a perennial herb with a slightly sour taste.

If you’re pressed for time, you can buy pre-cooked lentils; but you might need slightly less than the amount called for in the recipe.

Nutrition Info:

361 Calories, 17 g Protein, 36 g Carbohydrates, 13 g Fiber, 19 g Total fat (3 g sat, 10 g mono, 2 g poly), 117 mg Sodium, ★★★★ Vitamin K, Calcium, Iron, ★★ Vitamin A, C, Copper, ★ Vitamin B1 (thiamine), B2 (riboflavin), B6, Biotin, Folate, Manganese, Molybdenum, Phosphorus