Lentil Salad

In my quest to try to take more of my dietary cues from the Specific Carbohydrate Diet, I've been using less chic peas, quinoa, millet, and rice (it gives me a headache anyway)...which brought me to discovering the varied uses for lentils. I've been reading up on them to discover that lentils

• are a member of the legume family
• are a very good source of cholesterol-lowering fiber. Not only do lentils help lower cholesterol, they are of special benefit in managing blood-sugar disorders since their high fiber content prevents blood sugar levels from rising rapidly after a meal.
• provide good to excellent amounts of six important minerals, two B-vitamins, and protein-all with virtually no fat.
• have just 230 calories per 1 cup of cooked lentils
• cook quicker than other legumes
• are cheap - I paid $1.39 for a pound
• are versatile and can take the place of rice in many dishes. They are especially yummy when added to soups or as a salad...

Lentil Salad (serves a crowd)

Ingredients

• 1 lb lentils prepared according the the package instructions
• 2 C of chopped veggies (I used sweet onion, red onion, carrots, broccoli, zucchini, tomato, and yellow pepper)
• 3/4 - 1 C of your favorite salad dressing (Italian works well) or mix together 1/2 olive oil, 1/4 vinegar (or lemon juice), salt, and pepper to taste
  

Directions

1. Combine lentils and veggies.
2. Pour dressing all over and combine.
3. Serve chilled or at room temperature.

Enjoy!