Lentil and Cucumber Salad – Perfect for Potlucks – Recipe

Lentil and Cucumber Salad

This salad is great to have in your back pocket for summer potlucks and picnics  (*). It is easy to make, light and healthy and packed with flavor that adults will love, but manageable for kids too.

In this kind of salad, cucumbers tend to leak a lot of juice, dilute the dessing, and make a watery mess. Salting and draining the cucumbers for half an hour or so solves this problem, and gives them a nice flavor and texture as well. If you make it a day in advance, you’ll still want to re-toss it and check to see if you need to drain off a bit of liquid. I would wait until the day you are serving it to add the herbs as well.

If you are wondering about the beautiful pale color of these lentils, it is because I used the zero-tannin Shasta Lentils from PNW Co-Op. If they are available in your area, I highly recommend them. You can also order them from ChefShop.com. If not, a regular lentil will do. In either case, pay close attention to the last few minutes of their cooking. Stop too soon and your lentils have an unpleasant snap, but go too long and you’ll have made lentil soup!  I like to cook them right up to the perfect texture and then immediately rinse with lots of cold water to stop the cooking.

You might like to try adding some Dijon mustard to the dressing as well; it is friendly with dill and lemon juice so I think it would be a nice addition.

(*) I wouldn’t actually keep it in your back pocket because it will stain your pants.

Lentil and Cucumber Salad
Vegetarian, vegan, gluten free and kosher
Makes a big potluck-sized bowl; cut in half for regular “family” use

• 2 English cucumbers
• 1 pound lentils
• Kosher salt
• 1/2 red onion, diced
• 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
• Juice of 1 lemon
• Big handful of fresh dill (reserve a bit for garnish and  mince the rest)
• Big handful of fresh mint  (reserve a bit for garnish and  mince the rest)

1. Peel the cucumbers and cut them in half lengthwise. Use a spoon to scoop out the seeds. Cut into half-moons about 1/3″ thick. Toss with 1 tablespoon of kosher salt and place in a colander over a bowl to drain for about 30 minutes. If you are motivated, find some way to weight them for even better results. When they are nice and translucent and lots of water has collected, rinse the slices and then pat them dry.
2. Meanwhile, sort through the lentils and discard any non-lenticular matter. Rinse in several changes of water. Put in a medium pot and cover with a couple inches of water. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, and cook until tender but not mushy. Immediately drain and rinse in several changes of cold water to stop the cooking.
3. Combine the cooled lentils, cucumbers, onion, olive oil, lemon juice, 2 teaspoons of salt, dill and mint in a large bowl and toss. Taste and adjust seasoning. It may need more salt or lemon juice. Look for that moment when the flavors start to “sing” a little, not just sit there meekly on your palate. If you are serving more than an hour or so later, refrigerate and hold off on the herbs and final flavor adjustment until close to serving time. Garnish with the remaining herbs.