Lentil, Feta & Cucumber Salad

This crisp salad is a nice accompaniment to fish or a veggie burger. I like the array of textures in each bite: the crunch of cucumber, the smoothness of lentils and the crumbly feta. I personally like dill in this salad, but any herb would work in its place. I also used fresh garden cucumbers and a local goat's milk feta from the co-op in Lawrence. While red lentils provide a visual appeal, there's no reason you can't use any kind you have handy.

Lentil, Feta & Cucumber Salad
1/2 cup lentils, washed and picked over
1 large cucumber, diced
1/4 cup feta, crumbled
1 T dill, dried or fresh
2 tsp olive oil
1 tsp champagne vinegar (or red wine)
a few pinches of salt

Place lentils in a small saucepan with a pinch of salt. Fill pan with water to cover the lentils by a few inches and turn burner to high. When the water boils, turn it down to simmer and cover the pot until the lentils are soft, about 10-20 minutes (cook time depends on how fresh the lentils are).


While the lentils cook, mix the cucumbers, feta, dill, oil and vinegar in a bowl and let the flavors incorporate. When the lentils are cooked, drain the water off and rinse with cold water to bring the temperature down. Mix into the bowl with the other ingredients and eat right away. Leftovers are good cold.