Green Lentil Salad (Yeşil Mercimek Salatası)

 

If you are a lentil lover, this could be one the most delicious and nutritious salads. While studying for my qualifying exams at the library all day as a graduate student, green lentil salad was my lunch for at least three days a week. 

There's nothing written in stone: You can use more or less of anything down below. In Turkey this salad is usually dressed with pomegranate molasses, however I don't enjoy the slight sweetness that comes with it, so I prefer crisp tartness of lemons. 

For 4 people
1 cup green lentils

4-5 scallions, finely chopped

2-3 red sweet Italian peppers, finely chopped

1/2 cup roasted red peppers, chopped

1/2 cup dill or cucumber pickles, or cornichon pickles finely chopped

1/2 cup or a bit more canned corn 

1/3 cup fresh dill, finely chopped

1/3 cup fresh parsley, finely chopped

1/4 cup fresh mint, finely chopped

salt

juice of 1 lemon

a generous 1/4 cup of olive oil

optional

2-3 tbsp pomegranate molasses (It's widely available at international or middle eastern stores)

1/4 cup pickled jalapenos, finely chopped (I absolutely love having pickled jalapenos in this salad, sour and spicy is a perfect combination)

1/4 cup pickled peppers, finely chopped

1/3 - 1/2 cup crumbled feta

-Put 1 cup green lentils in a pot with 4-5 cups of water and cook for ~15 minutes. Check to see if they're cooked after 1o minutes. Lentils should be cooked but not mushy. Immediately rinse in a colander or sieve; we don't want the lentil to cook more in the hot water. 1 cup will make a lot of lentils, perfect for company or lunch for everyday.

-Chop everythıng finely as if you're trying to match them with lentils. 

-Salt to your taste. 

-Add juice of one lemon. One lemon is usually good for this many lentils but you can use less as well. I usually add a bit more. (If you would like to add pomegranate molasses balance it with lemon juice) 

-Add olive oil and toss.  

Enjoy!