Friday, January 8, 2010

Curry Spiced Lentil Salad With Coconut



I'm calling this Kelly and Casey's Salad, in honor of my good friends who would hate it. Kelly hates peas, Casey hates curry, and I can't imagine I got through composing the rest of the ingredients list without stepping on their picky toes.

Kelly and Casey's Salad

Ingredients

5 carrots, peeled and sliced
3 large boiling potatoes, parboiled and diced large
2/3 c. lentils, cooked until just tender
2/3 c. split peas, cooked cooked until just tender
2/3 c. black olives, chopped
1/3 c. olive oil
Juice of 1/2 a lemon
2 cloves garlic, pressed or minced
1 inch piece of fresh ginger, grated
2 tsp. dried cumin
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. dried turmeric
1/2 tsp. dried coriander
1/4 tsp. dried cardamom
Dried cayenne to taste
1/2 c. chopped fresh cilantro
1/2 c. sweetened coconut flakes


Directions

Mix the carrots, potatoes, lentils, peas, and olives in a large container with a tight-fitting lid.

In a separate bowl, combine all remaining ingredients except for the coconut flakes and whisk together.

Pour the dressing over the salad contents, stir well, and seal the container. Let it marinate in the fridge at least 4 hours (an eight-hour work day is ideal). Thirty minutes before serving, add the coconut flakes and stir again, then leave the container on the counter until its contents are at room temperature. Serves 6-8 as an appetizer or light meal.


I served this salad with homemade pita chips and extra lemon wedges.

As always, I encourage you to play around with the recipe. For a creamy dressing, try adding plain yogurt or coconut milk. If you dislike the taste or texture of coconut, try subbing golden raisins, dates, or apples (fresh or dried).



Beat the eggs. Whip the cream. Show no mercy.


12 comments:

Janis said...

Yum! That sounds great. I will eat your friends share of it.

Brie: Le Grand Fromage said...

ha, that's a funny story. very cute salad! i like your photos.

penny aka jeroxie said...

Nice little salad. And a cute little sotry.

The Chickenless Chick said...

@Brie... Thanks. Getting used to the lighting in my new apt, so they'll probably come out different next time... and different again the time after that...

I used to take pics under the light from the Aerogarden, and those came out really well, but we are selling the Aerogarden. I need to invest in a halogen desk lamp or something. The inconsistency of these photos is killin me.

Andrea@WellnessNotes said...

You should call this salad Andrea's Salad because I love EVERYTHING about it! Great recipe! By the way, your chickpea stew with dill is still one of our favorite meals!!!

The Chickenless Chick said...

@Andrea... Aw, that's great to hear! Thanks so much :)

Unknown said...

LOL I love the reason for the name! Great photos!

wasabi prime said...

What a heart and healthy dish! With all that flavor and such a wide mix of ingredients, even if one of the items isn't a favorite, there's so much in there to keep one's palate occupied!

singerinkitchen said...

Great salad and recipe!

Nicole said...

This looks so good - you should post recipe to homemade pita chips! :)

Tasty Eats At Home said...

Such a wonderful friend you are! This actually sounds really tasty!

luvtocook said...

Yummy.I am definitly going to try it.