Indian Lentil Salad + Yogurt Vinaigrette

I just realized it's February.  

Eff.  

Did you watch the super bowl last night?  Were you happy with the outcome?  I worked alllllll day Saturday and got home at 1am from my show and basically spent yesterday cooking and eating carbs because those are my two favorite activities when I'm zonked.  And then #football happened and now it's Monday and can't the Monday after SB be a national holiday?  Let's work on that.  

So to get back on track we have this super duper fun salad which I'm obsessed with.  There are lentils flavored with Indian spices and a dressing that kind of mimics raita, the yogurt cuke sauce you get in Indian restaurants, and then we have crunchy vegetables and cashew and KALE for the purpose of feeling healthy.  Let's do it!  

You need lentils (green are my fav), garlic, crushed red pepper, green onion, cucumber, cashews, garam masala, a lemon, olive oil, yogurt, honey, cumin, and kale!  This is a baby kale salad blend which I really like, but regular kale is fine if you enjoy the texture, OR duh any kind of salad greens that you like.  Make your own choices.  

First, let's start the lentils.  Mince the garlic, then cook the lentils and the garlic with the garam masala according to the directions until al dente - usually about 5 minutes less than the package states so that the lentils aren't mushy in the salad.  

While the lentils are working, go ahead and zest the lemon - we'll use the zest for the lentils and the juice for the dressing.  

To make the dressing, combine all the ingredients in a jar, then shake shake shake until a dressing forms.  If the dressing is super thick just add a little water to thin it out.  Taste the dressing, and add salt and pepper to your preference. 

Then, prep the ingredients for the salad.  Onions, cucumber, cashews.  Yum!

When the lentils are cooked, sprinkle them with some salt, the lemon zest, and the crushed red pepper.  

Stir the lentil mixture together, and add the cucumber and green onion.  

Then salad!  Greens, lentils, cashews, dressing.  

This is a great easy lunch/dinner, but the flavor is GREAT.  The garam masala on the lentils is really amazing, and the tang of the lemon and yogurt goes great with the deeper flavor of the lentils.  

Happy recovery day!