When the weather gets hotter and the days get longer, I like to get creative with salads, much to my husband's horror. Now, salad can be very boring and mundane if you just use the same ingredients every time, the token tomato, lettuce, cucumber and store bought dressing. However, if you get imaginative and add beans, lentils, eggs etc, your salad can turn into a main meal. Which is what I did the other afternoon. I highly recommend buying the spice sumac to flavour some of your salads. Sumac is a Middle Eastern spice that grows wild in the mid-east and Italy. It is purple in colour and has a sharp, sour lemon taste- don’t let this put you off though! It is superb in salads and is also used as a seasoning for meat. One teaspoon is all you need. If you are a vegan or do not eat eggs, substitute the hard boiled eggs for 1 ripe avocado.
INGREDIENTS
- 3 medium or 2 large beetroot, peeled, ends trimmed and cut in half or quarters to cook faster
- 4 eggs, preferably free range
- 1 x 400g tin of brown lentils, rinsed and drained
- 1 large tomato, sliced into thin wedges
- 2 large handfuls of lettuce (I like to use mixed lettuce)
- 1 teaspoon ground sumac
- 80g reduced-fat feta, crumbled
- Optional- if not using eggs, 1 ripe avocado, roughly chopped
COOKING
1. Preheat a fan-forced oven to 200 degrees celsius and wrap the beetroot halves in foil. Cook for 25-30 minutes or until beetroot is tender (that is, you can slice the beetroot with a knife easily). Remove from oven and leave to cool for 5 minutes, then remove the foil and slice beetroot into thin wedges.
2. Meanwhile, bring a small saucepan of water with the eggs to the boil, covered. Once boiled continue to cook for 5 minutes, then turn off the stove and rinse the eggs under cold water. Let them sit in the cold water for a few minutes, as this will stop them from cooking further and cool them down so they can be peeled.
2. Meanwhile, bring a small saucepan of water with the eggs to the boil, covered. Once boiled continue to cook for 5 minutes, then turn off the stove and rinse the eggs under cold water. Let them sit in the cold water for a few minutes, as this will stop them from cooking further and cool them down so they can be peeled.
3. Prepare the lentils, tomato, lettuce, sumac, feta and avocado if using in a medium to large bowl. Toss well.
4. Peel the eggs and cut into halves or quarters and place on top of the salad. Serve hot or cold.
4. Peel the eggs and cut into halves or quarters and place on top of the salad. Serve hot or cold.
Serves / 4
Total Preparation & Total Cooking time / around 40 minutes (including roasting the beetroot)
x Emily
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