Lentil salad is a filling recipe that you can eat for lunch or dinner. This flavorful dish is vital to include in your meals if you follow a Mediterranean Diet or weight loss goal. The salad is a medley of colors and flavors.
My favorite version of salad is with sprouted lentils, groundnuts, and lots of veggies. This yummy, gluten-free, vegan lentil salad is full of essential nutrients. Sprouting helps break down complex carbohydrates into simpler ones on one side, and the other advantage is the natural fiber and iron contained in the lentil. Tossed with a tangy salad dressing, this dish is quick and easy to prepare.
Packed with vegan ingredients, it is one of the best super salads for weight loss. Below is my Mediterranean Diet recipe for Sprouted Lentil salad; you can add your choice of veggies. I hope you would love the lentils more than ever after having a spoonful of this salad.
This salad uses green gram beans, yellow lentils, and brown-black or red lentils. I have used black-eyed peas for my Mediterranean salad. You can swap between whole black gram, green gram, and other lentils with black-eyed peas. Its flavors and nutrients will satiate you and tempt you not to have one serve.
Ingredients of Mediterranean Diet Lentil Salad
- Dry lentils
- Cucumber
- Tomato
- Red Onion
- Green Onions
- Green Chilies chopped
- Argula lettuce
- Crushed Groundnut
- Sunflower seeds
For Dressing:
- Olive Oil
- Fresh Minced Garlic
- Lemon Juice
- Chopped green chilies
- Salt
- Crushed black pepper
Garnish:
- Fresh Mint
- Fresh Coriander
Sprouting the Lentils for Mediterranean Diet salad
Wash the lentils 2-3 times.
Add more water to soak them. Cover and soak them overnight or around 8 hours. After 8 hours drain the water out and wash 3-4 times. Now add the lentil to a wet cheesecloth-lined colander. Sprinkle water on them, cover them with cheesecloth, and keep them in a warm corner of your kitchen, sprinkling water occasionally.
The lentils start sprouting after some hours. Keep it overnight for longer sprouts.
Preparing Dressing for the salad
To make a tangy dressing for your salad add chopped garlic, lemon juice, salt, and black pepper to the olive oil in a bowl.
Assembling the salad
- Steam the sprouts before assembling the salad (This is my preference; even the raw sprouts are ok.) Steaming the sprouts makes it easy to digest and enhances the taste.
- Mix all the chopped vegetables, lettuce, and dressing. Toss the salad well. Add roasted peanuts and sunflower seeds that add more crunch to it. Top the salad with fresh coriander and mint for a refreshing vibe.
- This steamed sprout lentil salad included in a Mediterranean Diet plan ensures complete nutrition for everyone. Try this wonderful Mediterranean diet recipe, and impress your friends who are into healthy eating. They’ll love it!
I would appreciate your feedback and suggestions to make it more enjoyable. If you’re looking for a healthy salad option, you gonna love this Tuna salad recipe.
