Addictive Chickpea Lentil Salad

Salad number two from my lentil salad list. List of two that is, haha. I started making this after having something similar from a convenience store. I thought, damn I could make this at home and it would be fifty zillion times better. And it was. It's so so ridiculously easy to make especially if you take the trashy route and use canned chickpeas and lentils (hey, sometimes a gal's gotta do what a gals gotta do) and can be a nice side to some meat or seafood, or a main meal on it's own. I made it so much over the summer and always bring it along to BBQ's/parties where it's always welcome!

The chickpeas are my favourite bit they're like little creamy nutty nuggets of goodness. I always try to fit as many on my fork/in to my mouth as I can in one hit. Not going to lie, I often just go for spoonfuls straight from the can...

 

Chickpea Lentil Summer Salad

Serves 4 as a main, 6+ as a side

1/2 generous bunch of parsley (curly or flat), finely chopped
1 400g can of chickpeas
1 400g can of lentils (or alternatively cook and cool 350g from dried)
2 ripe tomatoes de-seeded diced
1 cucumber de-seeded and diced
4 spring onions sliced
1 avocado diced (optional but delicious)

Dressing

2 tbsp white wine vinegar
3 tbsp lemon juice
1/4 cup olive oil
1 tsp tahini (if you don't have this you can substitute mayonnaise)
1 tsp mustard
salt and pepper to taste


Whisk all the dressing ingredients in the bottom of a bowl (serving bowl will do; less to wash). Dice salad veg how you wish (I like, little 1cmish cubes) and toss through with drained chickpeas and lentils. Then, shovel in to your mouth and enjoy!

Squid and Lentils

Not as gross as it sounds, in fact it's a lentil salad with pan-fried calamari rings.

I was home late from work and wanted something more than just a can of beans. Incidentally part of this did come out of a can - although if I'd had time I'd have cooked the lentils but I was time poor, and feeling pretty lazy. You could throw in some feta, goats cheese or nuts with the salad, whatever you please!

Calamari Lentil and Pumpkin Salad w/Tahini Lemon Dressing

2 main or 4 side serves

1 400g tin or 200g dried puy lentils
2 (scant) cups cubed pumpkin
1 cup (tightly packed) baby spinach
2 spring onions, thinly sliced

200g squid tubes, sliced

dressing;
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp white wine vinegar
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp tahini
salt and pepper to taste


Boil pumpkin (or roast!) and/or lentils in salted water until tender but not mushy.

Let cool slightly and combine salad ingredients in a bowl with dressing ingredients; toss to combine. (whisk dressing together in a separate bowl first if you're worried about the tahini being lumpy)

Saute calamari in a pan with a little olive oil for a minute or two so - until they turn from translucent to just white. Season with a little salt and pepper and take off heat. Let sit for a further 30seconds or so and let the residual heat do the rest of the work.

Toss through lentils or perch on top and don't forget any potential calamari pan juices to go over your salad ;)