Moroccan Lentil Salad

This dish is loaded with flavor. I found it on a site called mynewroots.com where the blogger tries to show you how to eat healthy every day. I've had my Trader Joe's lentils in the fridge for a hot minute and now I'm excited to cook up lunch. Obviously, this recipe calls for you to cook your lentils. I left that in there. Since mine were cooked already, I skipped that step. I would highly recommend you make this for lunch or as a side dish with dinner. It is super fresh and very flavorful. I labeled this as Moroccan because of the spice blend. Enjoy!


Ingredients:
2 ¼ cups (1 lb.) Du Puy lentils
1 medium red onion, diced
1 cup dried currants (you could also use raisins or other dried fruit - I used craisins)
1/3 cup capers

Vinaigrette:
1/3 cup cold pressed, extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar (I used red wine vinegar)
1 Tbsp. maple syrup (I used Light syrup)
1 Tbsp. strong mustard (I used Nathan's Coney Island Spicy Brown)
2 tsp. salt
2 tsp. pepper
1 tsp. ground cumin
1/2 tsp. turmeric*
1/2 tsp. ground coriander*
½ tsp ground cardamom*
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
¼ tsp. ground cloves*
1/4 tsp. freshly grated nutmeg*
¼ tsp. ground cinnamon*

* If you have these individually great, if not use about 1 1/2 tbsp ras el hanout

Optional add-ins:
Arugula
Walnuts
Goat cheese
Fresh herbs: flat-leaf parsley, cilantro, basil (I added basil and cilantro)
Sprouts
Crispy seasonal veggies

Directions:

1. Rinse lentils well, drain. Place in a pot and cover with a 3-4 inches of water, bring to a boil, reduce to simmer. Check lentils for doneness after 15 minutes, but they should take about 20 minutes in total. You will know they are cooked if they still retain a slight tooth – al dente! Overcooking the lentils is the death of this dish. Be careful!

2. While the lentils are simmering, make the dressing by placing all ingredients in a jar with a tight fitting lid and shake vigorously to combine.

3. Finely dice red onion - the salad is best if all the ingredients are about the same size. If using raisins, chop them roughly to make them a bit smaller, and do the same with the capers if they are large.

4. When the lentils are cooked, remove from heat, drain and place under cold running water to stop the cooking process. Once cooled slightly but still a little warm, place lentils in a large serving bowl and toss with dressing. Add other onion, capers, and currants. If using other add-ins such as herbs, greens, or cheese, wait until just before serving. Otherwise, this salad can hang out in the fridge for a couple days.