Orange Pomegranate Lentil Salad

I am a typical 30-something female. I could eat salad for every meal. I could do the whole vegetarian thing easily. Big lunchtime salads are my thing. And I really like making them seasonal. This orange pomegranate lentil salad is right up my alley. Crunchy napa cabbage, green lentils, toasted almonds, bright fruit and all dressed up in a champagne vinaigrette. You probably shouldn’t watch me eat something like this because it is a war zone.

Are you a meal prepper? Are you the kind of person that likes to get your meals prepped before the week takes off. This salad would work great with that. Because it is cabbage, it could handle having the vinaigrette sit at the bottom of a container until you are ready to shake it up and have lunch. Yes, the dressing will separate, but once you shake it all up, you won’t notice a different.

Tradesies

There are a few trade outs you could use with this salad, but some things should stay put. For sure, you need to keep the same fruit. But go ahead and trade out the lentils for quinoa. Some red quinoa would be lovely. Another good trade would be getting rid of the lentils for some chopped chicken. Then you’ve for a meal. And then it is also perfect for bringing to a baby shower or bridal shower. It is definitely chick food.

Orange pomegranate lentil salad could stand up to a change in dressing. A red wine vinaigrette would work and so would balsamic. But I wouldn’t use a creamy dressing.

Cooking lentils

Cooking lentils is something I haven’t mastered. I have tried a few methods, but they don’t seem perfect. Time particular time, I simmered them for about 30 minutes. They kind of fell apart. Everything still tasted fine, but they weren’t too pretty. If you have a great method of cooking lentils that you use, let me know.

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