Here’s a wonderful recipe for you to try! Especially after weekends of the kinds of food extravaganzas that the coming weeks are sure to bring, this salad will be a great choice for helping your digestive system to get back on track. Lentils are a very special food. Not only are they a fantastic source of protein, but they are also rich in fiber. There are only a few categories of foods that can make that claim. Not just that, but they are delicious, especially as prepared in this recipe.

Place a few heaping tablespoons of lentils in the bottom of a Ball jar, fill it to the top with fresh greens mixed with a couple drops of olive oil, and you’ve got lunch, all ready to go!

1 cup lentils, raw
1 tbsp. olive oil
2 Tbsp. freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 clove garlic, minced
2 Tbsp. red wine vinegar
2 green onions, chopped (whites and greens)
2 Tbsp. flat-leaf Italian parsley, chopped
¼ small red onion, chopped finely
1 medium carrot, peeled and sliced very thinly
1/2 tsp. Kosher salt
1/2 tsp. ground black pepper

Add water to cover lentils in a medium-large pot, cover the pot, and cook over medium-high heat for 30-45 minutes until tender (but still intact). Pour through a colander, rinse with cool water, and set aside.

In a small mixing bowl, whisk together the olive oil, lemon juice, garlic and red wine vinegar.

Combine the cooked lentils, chopped onions (both green and red), sliced carrots, and parsley in a medium bowl. Add the olive oil dressing and toss well. Sprinkle with Kosher salt and ground black pepper, taste, and adjust flavors. Refrigerate up to 2-3 hours (at least 30 minutes) to allow flavors to blend.

Ball jar idea #2: Add a scoop of brown rice, bulgur wheat, quinoa, millet, or another grain to the jar before you add the lentil salad and greens. You can use arugula, endive, red leaf lettuce, baby spinach, kale, mint, basil, or any combination of greens that you’d like.

Many thanks to asweetpeachef.com for a prior version of this recipe!