Low Calorie Summer Salad
Arugula Lentil Salad
Arugula Lentil Salad
I’m so happy that warm weather has arrived. That means its time to put away the soup and casserole recipes and opt for something lighter, cooler, and crisper. So, to get the summer started off right, I made this ah-mazing Arugula Lentil Salad with my own little tweaks. If you haven’t heard yet, lentils are a pretty much perfect food. Not only do they have a wonderfully nutty flavor, they are little nutrient champs. High in fiber, high in protein, and low in calories; those are just a few of this little legume’s attributes. I went through a phase where I worked lentils into our dinner menu at least once a week. I’ve missed them terribly, which probably means you’ll be seeing more lentil recipes to come.
Ingredients:
1 ½ c. brown lentils
1 vidalia onion
1 bay leaf
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tbsp. red wine vinegar (or if you prefer, just use lemon juice)
¼ tsp. pink Himalayan salt
¼ tsp. black pepper
3 tbsp. evoo
1 bunch arugula
Preparation:
Rinse lentils and remove any stones. Put them in a pot and cover with water by at least two inches. Peel and halve the onion and add it along with the bay leaf to the pot. Bring lentils to boiling, then lower to a simmer and cover with a tilted lid. Cook until tender, about 20 minutes. Drain lentils and discard onion and bay leaf. Place garlic in a large bowl. Add vinegar (or lemon juice), salt, and pepper and let sit about 10 minutes. Whisk in the oil. Add lentils to the dressing and toss to coat.
To assemble, Place 2 cups of cleaned and dried arugula leaves in a bowl and top with a heaping ½ c. of the lentils. Voila! A very tasty, light dinner for those hot summer evenings.
Enjoy and to your health!
Macros per serving: 154.9k cals, 7.3g fat (.9g sat, 5g mono, .7g poly), 19.1g carbs (10g fiber, 2g sugar), 10g protein, 95.2mg sodium, 0mg cholesterol, 1.1mg potassium
Reference:
Fadi Malouf – Personal Trainer
About.com – localfoods.about.com
