Lentil Salad

Ingredients

2 1/4 cups (1 lb) Puy lentils
1 medium red onion, diced
1 cup dried currants (or raisins, sultanas, dried apricots or other fruit), diced to same size as the red onion pieces
1/3 cup capers, diced to same size as the red onion pieces

Dressing

1/3 cup olive oil
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon maple syrup
1 tablespoon strong mustard
2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons pepper
1 teaspoons ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Directions

Rinse lentils well, drain, and place in a large pot of water on high heat. Bring to the boil and then simmer for 15 – 20 minutes until the lentils are al dente, making very sure not to overcook. No one wants mush salad.

Combine all dressing ingredients into a well-sealing lidded jar, and shake well to combine.

When the lentils are cooked enough to still have a bit of firmness, drain and rinse under cold water to stop the cooking process.
Place drained lentils into a large bowl, toss with the dressing, and mix in the onion, capers, currants, and whatever else you are adding. Serve.
(If adding things like cheese, greens, or fresh herbs, stir those in right before serving.) Otherwise this salad keeps well in the fridge for a few days.

Consider adding:
Rocket (arugula)
Chopped walnuts
Chopped olives
Cheese (goat cheese, feta, halloumi)
Herbs: Freshly chopped coriander, basil, parsley
Veg: diced carrots, celery.

My Notes

I used brown lentils since we didn’t have green ones in the house. I skipped the capers and added some chopped green onions. I used mild mustard ’cause we don’t keep spicy stuff in the house. This is nice for work lunches, we also threw in some feta cheese and whole cherry tomatoes.
When making this for work lunches: If I use red/purple onion in the batch I plan to take for work lunches, I don’t stir it through. I sprinkle the onion on the top of the salad, then seal my lunch container to grab the next morning. I may be imagining it, but doing it this way seems to stop the onion taste from spreading through the entire dish and making it taste too strongly of onions.