Lentil Pistachio Salad in Lime EVOO Dressing

I read somewhere that pairing lentils and pistachio nuts gives you a complete protein profile. So I have been thinking about how to combine these two in something awesome. Today, was the day that I finally managed to make this salad.

The Ingredients

• 3.25 cups of cooked whole lentils. Not mushy, just cooked.
• 1/4 cup salted, roasted pistachios-- shelled
• 2.5 cups of chopped carrots
• 1 garlic pod
• juice of 1/2 a lime
• 1 Tbsp cumin seeds
• 3" piece cinnamon stick
• 1 tomatillo (completely unnecessary -- I added it because I had it)
• You could sub celery or green/red peppers for above
• EVOO -- 1/8 cups or less
• salt and pepper corns to taste

The Method

1. To make the cooked lentils: I soak a whole batch of whole lentils in water for a day or a little more. Rinse and then cook it all in a pot of water. I don't use pressure cooker for this, because pressure cookers will make the lentils mushy. It should be possible to cook it in the electric rice cooker, although I have never tried. I store the cooked lentils in the freezer and use as necessary.
2. Put 1/8 cup of salted, shelled pistachio in a blender or food processor and pulse to chop it unevenly and set aside.
3. Chop the carrots and microwave them for about 2 minutes -- cooking them slightly lets the beta carotene be more accessible.
4. Chop the other veggies-- tomatillos or green pepper or celery
5. Combine all of these ingredients in a large bowl.
6. Squeeze a half of the lime into the blender
7. Add the olive oil.
8. Drop in the cinnamon sticks and cumin seeds
9. Add a few pepper corns and a little salt
10. Give it all a whir in the blender until it looks creamy. Some of the cinnamon pieces and peppers will not have ground up well. That's what I like since I like to see some texture in my dressing.
11. Add the finely chopped garlic into the blender and give it a final whir to incorporate everything together.
12. Pour dressing over the salad and mix thoroughly. Enjoy!

Some resources:

• To cook or not to cook your veggies
• Other lentil-pistachio salads:
• http://foodbloggaprintrecipes.blogspot.com/2012/04/raw-beet-lentil-and-pistachio-salad.html
• http://food52.com/recipes/12861-lentil-salad-with-fresh-peas-pistachios-mint-sheep-s-milk-feta

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