Lentil Salad with Green Tahini

I’ll never get tired of eating this salad for lunch— lemony lentils and crisp veggies doused in a creamy green dressing. But I don’t make it the exact same way every time. Instead, I play around with the herbs in the dressing. I might use parsley instead of cilantro or experiment with adding tarragon, dill, or chives. I love that it’s a little bit different each time I eat it!

INGREDIENTS 

• 6 ounces snap peas

• 1 shallot, finely chopped (⅓ cup)

  Love and Lemons Simple Feel Good Food: 125 Plant-Focused Meals to Enjoy Now or Make Ahead Jeanine Donofrio

• 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

• 1 tablespoon extra- virgin olive oil

• 1 teaspoon sea salt

• 3 cups cooked green lentils

• 2 Persian cucumbers, diced

• 1 watermelon radish, sliced paper thin, or ½ cup daikon radish slices

• Green Tahini, for serving (see below)

• Fresh mint leaves, for garnish

• Freshly ground black pepper

DIRECTIONS

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and set aside a bowl of ice water nearby. Drop the snap peas into the boiling water and blanch for 1 to 2 minutes, or until tender but still bright green. Use a slotted spoon to scoop the snap peas out of the boiling water and into the ice water. Chill for 1 minute, then drain and transfer to a kitchen towel to dry. Chop into 1-inch pieces and set aside. 

In a large bowl, whisk together the shallot, lemon juice, olive oil, salt, and several grinds of pepper. Add the lentils and toss to coat. Transfer to a serving platter or meal prep containers and top with the snap peas, cucumbers, and radish slices. When ready to serve, drizzle with the green tahini and garnish with mint leaves.

Green Tahini

YIELD: ABOUT 1 1/3 CUPS

• 1½ cups fresh parsley or cilantro

• ½ cup tahini

• ¼ cup fresh lemon juice

• ¼ cup fresh tarragon, chives, dill, or mint

• 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

• 1 teaspoon honey or maple syrup

• 1 garlic clove

• ½ teaspoon sea salt

• 4 to 6 tablespoons water, plus more as needed

In a food processor, place the parsley, tahini, lemon juice, tarragon, olive oil, honey, garlic, salt, and 4 tablespoons of the water. Process until smooth. If the sauce is too thick, thin with more water to reach a drizzleable consistency.

From Love and Lemons Simple Feel Good Food: 125 Plant-Focused Meals to Enjoy Now or Make Ahead by Jeanine Donofrio, published by Avery, an imprint of Penguin Publishing Group, a division of Penguin Random House, LLC. Copyright © 2023 by Jeanine Donofrio

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