Recipe: Herb-Friendly Lentil Salad

This Mediterranean dish is packed with protein and other nutrients from legumes and vegetables. It’s also chock full of herbs. The herbs in this recipe contain:

• Antioxidants to protect healthy cells from damage (parsley, mint, thyme, garlic)
• Iron to provide us with energy (parsley, cumin, thyme)
• Potassium to help muscles function and to control fluids, minerals and blood pressure (parsley)
• Infection-fighters (cumin, antiseptic), (mint and thyme, antibacterial) and (garlic, antimicrobial)
• Anticoagulants to encourage healthy blood flow (parsley, garlic)

Ingredients

1 15-ounce can of lentils, drained and rinsed
3 plum tomatoes, seeded and chopped
1 large carrot, grated
2 scallions
1 rib of celery, chopped
1 large red pepper, chopped
½ large English seedless cucumber, chopped
1 tablespoon fresh Italian parsley, chopped
½ teaspoon cumin (optional)
2 teaspoons fresh mint, chopped
1 teaspoon fresh thyme, chopped
1/4 cup fat-free feta cheese, crumbled
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons lemon juice or red wine vinegar
4 tablespoons olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste

Preparation

1. Place all the ingredients except feta cheese and mint leaves in a salad bowl.
2. Put minced garlic, lemon juice or red wine vinegar, olive oil, salt and pepper in a jar or a salad dressing cruet and shake to mix.
3. Pour dressing over lentil salad. Add feta and mint and mix.

Nutrition Information (Per Serving)

Makes 8 servings
Calories: 126
Protein: 5.6 g
Total fat: 3.5 g
Saturated fat: 0.5 g
Cholesterol: 0.6 mg
Total carbohydrate: 12.3 g
Sugar: 2.3 g
Dietary fiber: 4.6 g
Sodium: 136 mg
Potassium: 357 mg

Recipe from our Nutrition Therapy Department

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