Walnut Lentil Bread Salad

I've been making my way through a pot of lentils, and finished off the last serving in a salad. This was made with veggies on hand, but you could really use anything you like. As long as you have the base of garlic & onions, earthy spices, oil and a hint of acid... you're all set. The veggies are from Diamond Organics, a lovely gift sent to me by Chotda, good friend and food magic-maker extraordinaire. I made the croutons from a loaf of homemade bread made by my friend Kele. It's pretty divine... If you make this, I urge you to use a hearty wholegrain bread.

Walnut Lentil Bread Salad
(makes 1 serve)
- 1 clove of garlic
- handful of raw walnuts
- 1 1/2 Tbs. extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tsp. ground cumin
- 1 Tbs. roasted onion, diced
- 1 tsp. scallion, diced
- handful of red swiss chard, chopped
- handful of kale, chopped
- handful of fresh green beans, chopped
- 1 slice of whole grain bread, toasted & cut into croutons
- 1 c. cooked lentils (preferably cooked on the "toothy" side)
- salt & pepper
- apple cider vinegar, a few dashes

Mince, mash or pound the raw garlic with a bit of salt, till you achieve a nice paste. Add the walnuts and pound till the pieces become smaller, but not pasty. This is best done in a mortar & pestle, if possible. Set aside.

Heat a skillet to medium, then dry toast the ground cumin till it becomes fragrant. Add 1 Tbs. of the olive oil, heat till the oil shimmers. Add the onion, scallion, chard, kale and green beans. Saute for under a minute, or till partially cooked. Add the walnut/garlic mixture and cook for about a minute more.

In a bowl add your lentils, the saute veggie/walnut mixture, the remaining olive oil, croutons, apple cider vinegar and salt & pepper to taste. I suggest letting this sit for a few minutes for the flavors to meld. Be patient, I promise it's worth the wait. Enjoy!