One of my fiancé’s favorite salads is Whole Food’s Southwest Lentil Salad. Although there is a Whole Foods every half-mile in Los Angeles and a location 3 blocks away from us, the only place that serves this delectable salad is in Santa Monica… which is 9 miles away. Unfortunately, 9 miles in LA = 1 hour of hell.
To avoid road rage, an onslaught of curse words, and an empty stomach, we decided to try and recreate our own version. It’s so easy to throw together and takes way less time to prepare than a trip to Santa Monica.
Thanks to the red lentils and black beans, this dish is packed with enough satisfying plant-powered protein to pump up Popeye the Sailor Man’s arms. The fun array of veggies add color, pizazz and flavor, while the chipotle, red pepper flakes, jalapeno peppers, apple cider vinegar, and seasoned rice wine vinegar add a tangy punch to your taste buds. Since this recipe makes a lot of servings, it’s also the perfect dish to take with you to work for the week or bring to a summer BBQ.
Make sure to brighten this dish even more with toppings! I added some fun vegan and non-vegan topping ideas to get the wheels spinning.
Makes 10-12 servings, Serving Size: 1 cup
Craving Whole Food's Southwest Lentil Salad, but don't feel like making the trek to Whole Foods? Make my easy homemade version. It'll hit the spot!
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Ingredients
- 3 cups dried red lentils, rinsed
- 2 cups frozen organic non-GMO corn, rinsed and thawed
- 1 ½ cups cooked black beans, rinsed (1 tetrapak or can)
- 1 red bell pepper, chopped
- 1 green bell pepper, chopped
- ½ small red onion, chopped
- 2 Persian cucumbers, chopped
- 2 jalapeños, seeded and finely minced
- 4 scallions, finely chopped
- 1/2 cup fresh cilantro, minced
- 2 TBS apple cider vinegar
- 2 TBS seasoned rice wine vinegar
- 2 TBS olive or avocado oil
- 1 TBS garlic, finely minced
- 2 TSP dry mustard powder
- 1 TSP ground cumin
- 1 TSP ground coriander
- 1 TSP chipotle flakes
- 1 TSP red pepper flakes
- Sea salt and pepper to taste
- Crumbled goat or feta cheese
- Sliced avocado
- Extra cilantro and scallions
- Greek yogurt (great sour cream substitute)
- Halved grape tomatoes
- Chopped red cabbage
Directions
- Boil 6 cups of water in a medium pot. Turn the heat down low and stir in the lentils. Cook the lentils for 6 minutes (they should be cooked through but still firm). Rinse the lentils in a strainer with cold water.
- Thaw the corn by rinsing it in a strainer with hot water for about 30-60 seconds. Add to a large mixing bowl.
- Rinse the black beans in a strainer until the water runs clear. Add to the large mixing bowl.
- Mix in the the red bell pepper, green bell pepper, onion, cucumbers, jalapeños, scallions, and cilantro.
- Combine all of the dressing ingredients and pour over the salad. Mix well and either serve immediately or chill in the refrigerator overnight.
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