SIMPLE LENTIL AND BABY BEET SALAD
When someone says "summer salad" the first thing that comes to my mind is usually something leafy, green, and sometimes even multi-colored. But when someone says to me "word association: fall-inspired salad" I picture grains, beans, legumes, and dark, crunchy greens. Just to clarify, no one ever plays Seasonal Salad Word Association with me, but a girl can dream right? I'm totally kidding and that's something I definitely don't think I'd ever play. I'm the type of person that loves her carbs, but could go for a delicious and fresh salad any day of the week. It's all about balance right? Right. The fall season is definitely my favorite in terms of food because I love all the fruits and veggies that are at their peak tastiness. Butternut squash, pumpkin, carrots, brussel sprouts, cauliflower, pears, apples, sweet potatoes, and DARE I SAY KALE (??!!) are among my top picks for the season's best fresh ingredients. Vegetables are great and all, but sometimes we can't eat kale with balsamic vinaigrette every single day, because we'd probably all go crazy. The thing is, everybody forgets about this season's grain/legume department and how fantastic it is! I know grains and legumes are practically available all year round, but I associate them both with late-summer and autumn dishes. I'm going to show you how to make this crazy easy lentil salad with some baby beets that I threw together in 5 minutes, which is one of my go-tos for lunch and side dishes for dinner.
Gather up all your ingredients.
Dice 2 beets and add them to a medium-sized bowl with the whole box of steamed lentils.
Add in your lemon juice, extra virgin olive oil, balsamic, salt, and pepper.
And that's all it takes! Sometimes the easiest things in life are the best. :) Here's the recipe.
Ingredients:
1 box of steamed lentils
1/2 box of steamed baby beets (there's usually 4 in a box, but I recommend using just 2)
1 1/2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
2 1/2 teaspoons of peach balsamic (regular works too, but if you have any fancy flavors on hand then get experimental) :)
Juice of 1/2 a lemon
Salt and pepper to taste
Directions:
1. Place your box of steamed lentils in a medium sized bowl.
2. Dice up 2 baby beets into tiny cubes and add them to the bowl with the lentils.
3. Combine your beets and lentils with lemon juice, extra virgin olive oil, balsamic, salt, and pepper (to taste).
4. Stir everything up and you're good to go! You can store your salad in a container for up to a week. Also, you'll probably get about 3 servings out of one batch, so you can double up on the recipe if you want to have a little extra between meals. ;)
Fall is such a busy season and this salad uncomplicates things for you when you're feeling overwhelmed with work and like you have no time to put together a good meal. This dish is quick, healthy, and hearty, which checks off a lot of boxes at least for me. I hope you can all find 5 minutes during this crazy part of the year to try this recipe out. :) When you get to it be sure to let me know what you think!
xoxo,
Emma