Moroccan Spiced Lentil Salad 

Modified from a recipe by Sam Turnbull- It Doesn’t Taste Like Chicken 

Makes ~ 8 serves

Ingredients for Lentils:

• 2 Cans (14 oz each) brown or green lentils, drained & rinsed OR 3 Cups cooked lentils
• ½ medium red onion, finely diced
• 2 small or 1 large yellow bell pepper, diced
• 2 medium carrots, peeled & shredded or ~1 C packaged shredded carrots
• ½ C chopped fresh parsley or cilantro or a combination of both
• ½ C golden raisins or chopped dried apricots
• ½ C toasted almonds or pistachios, chopped

Ingredients for Dressing:

• ¼ C olive oil or oil of your choice
• 3 Tbl lemon juice
• 1 Tbl Dijon mustard
• 1 clove garlic, minced or 1/8- 1/4 tsp garlic powder
• 2 tsp agave or maple syrup or hone
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• ½ tsp ground coriander
• ¼ tsp salt
• ¼ tsp black pepper

Directions:

1. Make the dressing- in a small bowl or jar, whisk together the oil, lemon juice, Dijon mustard, garlic, agave, cumin, cinnamon, paprika, coriander, salt and pepper and set aside.

2. Assemble the salad- in a large bowl combine the drained lentils, red onion, bell pepper, carrots, parsley/cilantro, dried fruit and most of the nuts. Save a handful for garnish.

3. Pour about half the dressing on the salad and toss to coat. Add more to taste. Garnish with reserved nuts and a sprinkle of herbs. Serve immediately or chill for 15-30 minutes to allow the flavors to meld.

4. Can be stored in the fridge for up to 3 days.

5. To make this oil free, swap out 1 Tbl tahini mixed with 2-3 Tbl water for the oil. To make it nut free, use pepitas or sunflower seeds.

Nutrition Information per serving using dried apricots for the analysis:

Calories 265  

Total fat 11g  

Saturated fat 1.5g  

Protein 12g  

Total Carbohydrate 33g  

Fiber 8g

Sugar 9g  

Potassium 670mg  

Iron 4.5mg  

Sodium 372mg if using canned lentils (if you cook your own lentils and omit sodium in the cooking it will be lower)