Lentil, Fava and Feta Salad

In my last post I’ve shown you how to assemble a very simple salad recipe. As I’ve said salad is a very versatile meal that is good for you, for me...for all of us, because it offers a range of nutrients and vitamins that are essential for our well-being and health. And so for today I’d like to share to you another simple and easy to prepare no cook meal that you can make without employing heat. This tasty and delicious salad is such a wonderful combination of textures and flavors in tangy dressing using lentil bean, fava bean and feta cheese. Try it! It's so easy to prepare!

Prep Time: 15 mins

Yield: 4 Servings

Ingredients: 

½ cup (85g) frozen shelled fava beans       
1 x 14oz (400g) can of green or brown
    lentils, drained and rinsed, or
    2 cups drained cooked lentils
1 bunch of scallions, finely chopped   
1 fresh green chile, finely chopped
6oz (175g) feta cheese,
     cut into cubes
handful of fresh flat-leaf parsley,
     finely chopped
sea salt and freshly ground
    black pepper

For the dressing
3 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp white wine vinegar
1 x 1in (2.5cm) piece fresh ginger,
    peeled and grated
pinch of sugar (optional)

Directions:

1 Cover the fava beans with boiling water and let sit for 5 minutes. Drain.
2 Put the lentils in a serving bowl and season with a pinch of salt and some black pepper. Stir in the drained fava beans, scallions, and chile.
3 To make the dressing, combine the oil, vinegar, and ginger in small bowl. Season with salt and pepper and a pinch of sugar (if using), and whisk until well blended. Drizzle over the salad and let stand for 10 minutes, to allow the flavors to develop.
4 When ready to serve, stir in the feta and parsley.

Variation: Goat cheese, or any smoked or blue cheese, can be used instead of the feta. For a colorful twist, toss in some peeled orange segments.

Notes: Canned lentils are an excellent pantry standby that will keep up to 1 year. They end to be salty, so be sure to rinse them with cold water.