This is the food version of don’t judge a book by it’s cover…when I told Christian I was adding this to one of our weekly menus he gave me that look that says, “please don’t make me eat rabbit food.” You see, SavoryGirl isn’t always popular but I have to say that more often than not I am indeed a good judge of a recipe just by reading it…and this time was no different. Ha, ha, I win! Seriously though, bear with me on this one and try it out…it is absolutely delicious. So much so that we made a second batch the very next week, and it was Christian’s suggestion!
As usual, I didn’t follow the recipe exactly as written…but we did follow it pretty closely. The main changes were that we ommitted the sprouted mung beans (we couldn’t find nearby and we just didn’t have time to go searching), sprouted our own lentils instead of using dried sprouted lentils (which we also couldn’t find), and toasted/salted our own raw pumpkin seeds since we already had some in the house.
Sprouting your own lentils is super easy and kind of fun…you just need to plan in advance since it takes a few days. If you’ve never done this, here’s the process:
- Soak dried lentils in water for 8-14 hours. The time depends on the size of the lentil…smaller lentils for 8 hours, larger lentils for 14 hours. Keep in mind that your lentils will triple to quadruple in size so don’t sprout to many at once!
- Rinse the lentils thoroughly (to remove acids and toxins) and let them drain as much as possible. Once drained, transfer them to a large glass container or bowl and cover with a clean dish towel. Place in a cool semi-dark location and let sit overnight
- Continue to rinse, drain and return the lentils to the glass bowl with a cloth cover every 8-12 hours (I did it before bed and before leaving for work in the morning every day). Do this for 2-3 days, or until you have a ½” sprout.
- Once your fully sprouted give the lentils one last rinse and drain. Then return to the glass bowl, cover with cloth and put them in the refrigerator. They should last for about 2 weeks.
The first time we made this salad we had it alongside grilled chicken sausage. The second time, however, we had it with grilled salmon which was an even more perfect pairing. I also took it for lunch a few times during the week…nice and hearty. Absolutely delicious!