Couscous and French Lentil Salad

This easy bean and pasta salad provides a wonderful showcase for a variety of fresh herbs. Feel free to experiment with whatever is available in the garden or the grocery store. Serve as a vegetarian main course or as a delicious side dish.

COUSCOUS and FRENCH LENTIL SALAD

For the Lentils
1 cup French green lentils (du Puy)
6 cups water
1 Tbs. Champagne vinegar

For the Couscous
1 tsp. olive oil
1¼ cups Israeli (pearl) couscous
1½ cups chicken or vegetable broth

For the Dressing
6 Tbs. olive oil
3 Tbs. Champagne vinegar
1 Tbs. dry white wine
2-4 large garlic cloves, minced
Salt and pepper to taste

To Finish the Salad
3 small seedless cucumbers, peeled and chopped
1 bunch of scallions, white part chopped, green tops sliced
½ to 1 cup chopped fresh cilantro, basil, dill, or a combination

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1. Bring water to a boil in a small saucepan. Add lentils, return to boil, cover and simmer until tender but not falling apart, 13-15 minutes. Rinse to cool. Transfer lentils to bowl. Stir in 1 tablespoon of champagne vinegar.

2. Bring broth to simmer in a small saucepan. Heat ½ Tbs. olive oil in a nonstick skillet. Toast the couscous in the oil, stirring constantly over medium high heat for about 5 minutes. Add boiling broth. Cover and simmer for five minutes, then remove from heat and let stand for 5 minutes. Drain and transfer to large bowl. Fluff to remove clumps and let cool. (Couscous may be rinsed in cold water to cool more quickly.)

3. In a small bowl, whisk together vinegar, oil, wine, garlic, and salt and pepper. Stir dressing into couscous. Fold in lentils and remaining ingredients. Chill well. Serves 6.

Lentil and Sweet Potato Soup

Delicious, colorful, and nourishing, this French-inspired soup is totally vegan, though adding a few slices of cooked sausage might better entice the carnivores. Using sweet potatoes instead of carrots gives the soup a unique flavor and adds a boost of Vitamin A.

LENTIL and SWEET POTATO SOUP

2 Tbs. olive oil
3-4 garlic cloves
1 large sweet onion
2-3 celery ribs
1 leek, white part only, well washed and roughly chopped
1 tsp. dried thyme
2 Tbs. unbleached flour
10 cups vegetable stock
1 1/4 cups brown lentils
2-3 bay leaves
2 medium sweet potatoes (about 1 lb.), peeled and cubed
1/3 cup arborio rice
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Fresh chopped parsley

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1. Heat oil in a large soup pot over medium heat. Chop vegetables in food processor and sauté until soft, about 10 minutes.

2. Sprinkle flour over vegetables and cook another 3 minutes. Remove pan from heat and gradually stir in stock.

3. Pick through lentils carefully and remove anything that isn’t a lentil. Add lentils, bay leaves, and 2 tsps. salt to soup pot. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

4. Add sweet potatoes and rice. Cook another 20 minutes, or until sweet potatoes and rice are done. Discard bay leaves.

5. Pureé 2 cups of the soup in a blender or food processor and return to the pot. Heat through, add parsley, and serve with hearty bread. 4-6 filling servings.

Roasted Sweet Potato and Lentil Salad

Serve this colorful and nutritious vegetarian salad as a delicious main course or a fabulous side dish.

ROASTED SWEET POTATO and LENTIL SALAD

For the Lentils:
1 cup French green lentils (du Puy)
1 large bay leaf
3 large garlic cloves cut in half

For the Sweet Potatoes:
2 large sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into ½-inch cubes (about 4 cups)
2 Tbs. vegetable or light olive oil
1 Tbsp. chopped fresh rosemary

For the Dressing:
1/8 cup olive oil
2 Tbs. white balsamic vinegar
1 tsp. fresh lemon juice
1 large garlic clove, minced　
1 tsp. maple syrup
1 tsp. Dijon mustard
Salt and pepper to taste

To Finish the Salad:　
2 small seedless cucumbers, peeled and diced
4 scallions, white parts chopped, green tops sliced
1 15-oz. can chick peas, rinsed and drained well
¾ oz. pkg. fresh dill, chopped
½ cup fresh basil, roughly chopped

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1. Place lentils, garlic cloves, and bay leaf in a pot with cold water to cover by two inches. Bring to a boil. Simmer lentils until tender but not mushy, 15 to 20 minutes. Rinse in cool water and drain well, discarding bay leaves and garlic. Transfer to a large bowl.

2. To roast sweet potatotes, heat oven to 400 F. In a 9x13-inch pan, toss potato cubes with oil and rosemary. Cover with foil and roast for 12 minutes. Remove foil, shake pan, and continue roasting until potatoes are tender, about 12 -15 minutes more. Drain/cool on paper towels. (Sweet potatoes may be boiled - about 8-10 minutes, or steamed - about 6-7 minutes, until tender. Drain well.)

3. Blend ingredients for dressing together. Fold into lentils. Add potatoes and all remaining ingredients, folding gently to combine. Serve warm or at room temperature. Serves 4-6.

Warm Lentil and Sausage Salad

This versatile dish makes a great cold weather supper or a tasty side dish for a summer barbecue. For a vegetarian or vegan version, substitute vegetable broth for the meat broth and omit the sausage (or use a vegetarian brand).

The individual parts of the recipe can be prepared ahead of time, and the finished dish assembles easily. A food processor makes prep time a snap, especially if a medium shredding disk is available to shred the carrots.

Note: I've tried this recipe with French Puy lentils and didn't care for the pasty results. Use the good old brown lentils. I've also tried using arborio rice and ended up with a porridge. A plain rice such as Carolina (my preference) or Uncle Ben's works best.

WARM LENTIL and SAUSAGE SALAD

4 sweet Italian sausages (about 1 lb.)          1 medium onion, minced
½ cup red wine                                               1 rib of celery, minced
1 cup brown lentils                                          2 carrots, peeled and shredded
2 cups beef broth                                             2 garlic cloves, minced
2 cups chicken broth                                       1 tsp. dried thyme
½ cup rice                                                        Salt and pepper
2 Tbs. olive oil                                                  ¼ cup fresh parsley, chopped
1 bay leaf

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1. Preheat oven to 350 . Prick sausages several times with a small sharp knife. Place in a single layer in a baking dish just large enough to hold them. Bake for 15 minutes. Turn and bake for 15 minutes more. Pour red wine over sausages. Turn and bake for 15 minutes more. Turn again and bake another 15 minutes. (Total baking time 1 hour.) Remove sausages to a dish lined with paper towels to drain and cool. Slice sausage into rings.

2. While sausage is baking, pick through lentils and remove anything that isn’t a lentil. Combine broths in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Rinse lentils and add to broth with bay leaf. Simmer uncovered for 10 minutes. Add rice and continue simmering for 18-20 minutes, or until rice and lentils are cooked. Don’t overcook! They’ll cook more in the skillet. Drain rice and lentils right away, reserving excess liquid to moisten salad later if necessary. Discard bay leaf.

3. Heat oil in a heavy skillet. Sauté the onion, carrots, celery, garlic, and thyme over moderately low heat until vegetables are softened. Fold in lentils and rice. Season lightly with salt and pepper. Add parsley and stir gently to combine all ingredients. Place mixture in serving dish, top with sliced sausage, (or combine sausage with other ingredients), and serve warm or at room temperature. Garlic bread and salad are great additions. 4-6 main course servings.