A couple of weeks ago we had a guest who had many food allergies and sensitivities. She told me that usually she brings her own food when they are hosted, but that she heard about me and thought I could handle it so she shared the list with me; yes to chicken, beef, beans, quinoa, buckwheat, millet, nuts, canola or olive oil. No to sugar, gluten, mint, tomatoes, corn, mushrooms, vinegar, wine, bottled lemon juice, peanuts, hazelnuts, soy, eggs, yeast, or dried herbs.

No problem. 🙂

I made a number of different dishes for that meal to accommodate our guest, and the following salad was a hit!

Sprouted Lentil Salad

• 2 cup sprouted lentils, steamed (you can also use cooked unsprouted lentils) – to sprout the lentils, soak them overnight, then rinse them twice a day until you see little white sprouts; it usually takes a day in hot weather and two days when it’s cold.  You can let them sprout longer if you prefer longer sprouts, but I just let them sprout until there’s a small tail. 
• 2 celery ribs, finely diced
• 1 carrot, finely diced
• 1/2 c. scallions, thinly sliced
• 2 T. minced fresh parsley
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/4 c. extra virgin olive oil
• 2 T. freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 1/2 t. cumin
• 1 t. sea salt or to taste

Mix the steamed lentils with the diced vegetables.  Mix the olive oil, lemon juice, cumin and salt, and then pour over the lentil mixture.  Mix well, let sit at least an hour before serving.

My guests and children all commented on how good this is and I’ve since made it again, again with lots of compliments.  I hope you enjoy it, too!

(This is part of Real Food Wednesdays.)

Avivah