{"id":25951,"date":"2016-09-08T06:00:28","date_gmt":"2016-09-08T13:00:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/shescookin.com\/?p=25951"},"modified":"2019-06-23T13:30:28","modified_gmt":"2019-06-23T20:30:28","slug":"not-so-traditional-french-lentil-salad","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/shescookin.com\/not-so-traditional-french-lentil-salad\/","title":{"rendered":"Not So Traditional French Lentil Salad"},"content":{"rendered":"
If you only know lentils as tiny brownish-gray legumes that are boiled down into a not very appetizing looking soup, give French green lentils a try in this colorful, heart healthy<\/strong>, low sodium recipe<\/strong> and rethink your position on these nutritional powerhouse pulses.<\/em><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Legumes<\/b>\u00a0are typically low in fat, contain no cholesterol, and are high in folate, potassium, iron and magnesium. They also contain beneficial fats and soluble and insoluble fiber.\u00a0Lentils are legumes\u00a0along with other types of beans, peas and peanuts. They grow in pods that contain either one or two\u00a0lentil\u00a0seeds that are round, oval or heart-shaped disks – some smaller than the tip of a pencil eraser.<\/p>\n Jump to Recipe<\/a><\/p>\n Pulses<\/strong>, also known as grain legumes, are a group of 12 crops that includes dry beans, dry peas, chickpeas, and lentils. They are high in protein, fiber, and various vitamins, provide amino acids, and are hearty crops. They are most popular in developing countries, but are increasingly becoming recognized as an excellent part of a healthy diet throughout the world.<\/p>\n The United Nations has declared 2016 the International Year of Pulses and I’ve been doing my part to branch out and discover new ways to love lentils besides lentil soup and the traditional French Lentil Salad which I first tried at Au Petit Riche<\/a>\u00a0in Paris where it is enlivened with bacon lardons, mais\u00a0oui!, <\/em>and\u00a0presented in a mini, aged cast iron server lending the simple, rustic salad a bit of French country allure.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n I literally laughed out loud when reading David Lebovitz<\/a>‘s prelude to this recipe. Written in his lighthearted, satirical style he talks about how lentils have suffered indignity throughout the “hippy-dippy 1970s” but have been elevated from lowly health food bulk bins by rebranding fancy lentils as “caviar” or “beluga”. Such regal grandeur seems silly, yet he, and others, concede that the Le Puy green lentils are truly the best. There are French green lentils, and then there are the green lentils grown in the Le Puy region which have a superb flavor and texture and, as long as they are not overcooked, retain their shape and a certain subtle crunch that lends itself perfectly to mixing into salads. \u00a0If you can’t find Le Puy green lentils, use other high quality French green lentils such as those from Bob’s Red Mill<\/a>.<\/p>\n