Spiced lamb & lentil salad for salad week
Howdy friends! Embark on a culinary adventure with spiced lamb and lentil salad, where tender lamb meets hearty lentils in a symphony of flavors.
Today is the day. The grand finale. The piece de resistance. Over the course of this week, eight other foodie bloggers and we have tossed, whipped, and chopped our way through six salad recipes. We’ve managed to keep all ten fingers, grow closer, and gain an appreciation for all things salad. Let us give you a little recap: Monday – Allison @ Decadent Philistines Save the Word – The Tabbouleh That Made Me Cry Tuesday – Jeanne @ Inside NanaBread’s Head – Toughie’s Apple Salad Wednesday – Yours Truly – Parmesan Salad Cups Thursday – Kat @ Tenaciously Yours – Party Salad
Friday – Kirsten @ Comfortably Domestic – Simple Caesar Salad
Megan @ Wanna Be a Country Cleaver – Chicken Mole Salad But these past five days were just a warm up. Something to wet your palate. Something to jump-start your taste buds. You’ve kicked your preconceived salad-ish notions out the window, and now it all comes down to this… We welcome you to…Salad-Link-Polooza! Today, all of our foodie bloggers will be featuring their favorite salad – each sure to knock your socks off. Check them out! Then immediately head on over to Allison’s blog for the Link Party where you can see all of these salads, but also add your own favorite recipe! Allison @ Decadent Philistines Save the World – Cabbage-Ramen Salad
Jeanne @ Inside NanaBread’s Head – Creole Potato Salad Kat @ Tenaciously Yours – Cheese and Calaro Salad
Kirsten @ Comfortably Domestic – Greek Quinoa Salad Megan @ Wanna Be a Country Cleaver – Wanna Be a Waldorf Salad Madelyn @ La Petite Pancake – Zesty Steak and Arugula Salad Monica @ The Grommom – Tropical Chicken Salad in Papaya “Boat” Carrie @ Bakeaholic Mama – Ranch BLT Salad in Bacon Cups We can’t even begin to explain how jazz-hands excited we are to try these recipes. All of these women are truly remarkable, witty, and share the same passion for food as we do. A round of applause please for these hip chicks!
Oh, and before we forget, we probably should tell you about that grand-finale salad. Right? After we posted our Parmesan salad cups, We knew we wanted our piece de resistance to be something other than mixed greens. Don’t get us wrong, we love leafy greens, but a girl needs to spice things up every once in awhile. That, and if we made the husband eat two salads for dinner in the same week, things would get ugly. So being considerate in nature (at least We think so 🙂 ), we knew protein was a must. We started down the typical path of turkey, chicken, pork, but those meats weren’t cutting it for us. Then we asked myself, what about lamb? (Do you see a theme here? We tend to talk to myself a lot. It happens. Just go with it.) Lamb, lentils, dill: lean, lighter, refreshing. By George, we think she’s got it!
Not only is the meal lighter, but it packs a ton of flavor. There’s cinnamon to add a reliable touch of warmth to the lamb, while a layer of garnished vegetables brings this simmered dish back to earth. And a favorite thing about this salad? It’s even better the next day! And the day after that! This salad is definitely a keeper – unlike those pre-assembled, store-bought attempts that dare to call themselves real salad. Will they ever learn? Happy Salad Week, folks!
Spiced Lamb and Lentil Salad Serves 4 Prep Time: 30 minutes Cook Time: 40 minutes Ingredients: 3 cups chicken stock 1 medium yellow onion, chopped 3 garlic cloves, minced 1 pound ground lamb 2 tablespoons fresh dill, chopped (plus a little extra for garnish) 1 teaspoon dried oregano 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1 cup green lentils 1 cup brown rice 1 tablespoon lemon juice 1 small cucumber, chopped 1 tomato, chopped Greek yogurt, garnish Directions: Bring 1/2 cup broth to simmer in a large pot over medium high heat. Add onion and garlic. Cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Add lamb, dill, oregano, cinnamon and cook for another 7 minutes. Stir in the lentils and the remaining 2 1/2 cups of chicken stock. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low. Cover and simmer, stirring occasionally until lentils are tender, about 45 minutes. Meanwhile, in a separate medium saucepan, bring rice and 2 cups water to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer until liquid is completely absorbed and rice is just tender, approximately 40 minutes. To serve, spoon lamb and lentils over rice and top with cucumber, tomato, dill, squeeze of lemon juice, and a dollop of Greek yogurt. Conclusion: Elevate your dining experience with the aromatic blend of spiced lamb and lentil salad, a satisfying dish that promises both flavor and nourishment.
