Cooking: lentil salad with veggies

I've been feeling rather under the weather this past week, and during such times, the one thing sure to bring back the smile in my face is cooking.  Comfort cooking, that is.

Add to that that I've been longing for such a lentil salad (yes, there are many of us out there who like lentils), plus a dish that can be savoured on the go and hey presto - this recipe popped up in my trusted Pinterest.

Lentil salad with veggies

(adapted from Kalyn's Kitchen)

1 cup green lentils
1 tbsp lemon juice (in my case, three lemon juice ice cubes)
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
3-4 tbsp olive oil (or to your taste)
1 cup finely cubed bell peppers (I used frozen mix)
200g chopped green olives
3 green onions, chopped
1/2 tsp.  smoked paprika
1 tbsp dried oregano
2 tbsp dried parsley

salt / pepper to taste

I started with the lentils, which I put to cook in water over a medium-low heat, to a ratio of 1 to 3.  (No salt added at this point, so that they don't go hard).  In the meantime, I used my multi to chop everything:  olives, green onions, bell peppers.  The reason was that I wanted them chopped as small as possible, so that everything is about the size of the lentils - this makes for a much better presentation...

Once the lentils are cooked, you could leave them to cool before adding them to the rest of the ingredients.  Or, like me, you could  start mixing the salad now, and make it a warm one: delicious!!!

Toss everything in a large bowl and make sure you taste at least some of it before inviting your friends over (big mistake...).  A friends- and family-approved recipe, which is to be repeated very soon!