Sweethearts

BS"D

I love finding new products, and I was excited to see this one practically jump off shelf at me. Legumes in a bag. Not something to stir most peoples hearts, but I was excited because I had a choice of lentils or chick peas. Gefen makes them in a 16 ounce vacuum sealed (I guess) pouch. And they're great for taking a scoop for a salad or a stew and putting the rest back in the fridge for another time. Until now, lentils are were definitely a plan ahead item for me. They'd have to be soaked, then cooked, then incorporated into whatever dish I planned to use them with (like my favorite m'jedra), but now you can take a scoop, toss and go. They're great to mix with microwavable rice or toss into a salad.

I used another convenience item Gefen vacuum packed beets to make a great winter salad. Gefen is just knocking it out of the park this year!  It served double duty as a side dish then as a lunch the next day with an egg sliced on top (you can also use cubed tofu or leftover chicken). I made the dressing and stirred up the salad in one storage container--so no muss no fuss!

Serve this delicious and hearty winter salad to your sweetheart and enjoy the good heart healthy benefits

If you want to make this even easier, substitute a bottled citrus vinaigrette for the dressing.  It keeps well in the refrigerator for up to a week.

Sweet Heart Beet and Lentil Salad

Dressing:
1/3 cup orange juice
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 Tablespoons honey
1 Tablespoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon lemon zest
2 Tablespoons fresh dill ) or 1 1/2 teaspoons dried)
sea salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste

Salad:
2 cups cooked brown lentils
3 medium cooked beets, cubed
1/4 cup diced Bermuda onion
11 ounce can mandarin oranges, drained and rinsed (or 2 fresh, peeled and pithed)

In a medium sized mixing bowl, whisk together dressing ingredients. Add salad ingredients and gently fold together.

Chill 2 hours before serving.

Servings: 8