French Green Lentil Salad with Portobello, Asparagus, and Cilantro

Need a healthy lunch from that is not only satisfying, but healthy? How about using some of those lentils that have been in your pantry for ever. I love lentils, some do not, but I think part of the reason people don’t like them is because a lot of time they aren’t cooked properly. They should be cooked until they are just done. Just like rice there is a small window between underdone, perfect, and overdone. You need to continue to test the lentils as they get closer and closer to being done. Once done, strain the lentils and immediately place them on sheet pan to cool down. Once cooled you can add anything you want to the lentils to make a delicious salad. I opted for asparagus, cucumber, and portobello along with some fresh herbs. Here is the recipe I hope you enjoy it!

Recipe Ingredients

1 cup of french green lentils

4 cups of water

2 garlic cloves

1/3 cup of small diced celery

1/3 cup of small diced onion

2 tsp of salt

1/2 cup of small diced cucumber

1/3 cup of roasted asparagus chopped small

1 tbsp of fresh chopped basil

4 tbsp of olive oil

1 tbsp of sherry vinegar

1 lemon zested

salt and pepper

4 portobellos

1 1/2 tbsp of balsamic vinegar

6 tbsp of olive oil

salt and pepper

Cilantro - Jalapeno Sauce

1 large jalapeños 

1 small bunches of cilantro 

1/3 cup of roasted pumpkin seeds

1 cup of olive oil

salt to taste

1 cup of mayo or veganaise

1/2 cup of cilantro jalapeno sauce

Salad

4 oz of petite romaine hearts

1 avocado

2 red radish julienned thin

basil leaves

oil and vinegar from cooked portobellos

Recipe Instructions

For the French Green Lentils,

Place all the ingredients in a pot and bring to a boil, turn down to a simmer and cover with a lid. Cook the lentil for about 25 minutes until they are tender all the way through but not over cooked. Strain the lentils reserving the liquid for another use and pour out onto a sheet pan lined with parchment to cool. Set aside

For the jalapeño Sauce,

Slice the jalapeño's into four pieces including the seeds.  Place all of the slices into a vitamix.  Add pumpkin seeds and cilantro.  Turn on the vitamix for 10 seconds just to break the big pieces up a bit.  Then add the olive oil to the blender.  Puree until completely smooth.  Season with salt and set aside.  (you might need to add a touch more oil to make a smooth puree)

Then in a small bowl combine mayo with a 1/2 cup of the jalapeno sauce. Season and set aside.

How to cook portobellos

In a bowl add portobellos, balsamic, olive oil, salt, and pepper. Let it marinate for 10 minutes or longer. Then in a saute pan on medium heat add the portobellos to the pan with the oil and vinegar (you could grill the portobellos if desired) Cook for 5 minutes on one side and then flip over and cook for another 5 minutes. Flip the portobellos back over and turn the heat off on the pan. Let them sit in the pan for another 5-10 minutes.

To finish,

Place lentils, cucumbers, asparagus, basil, oil, vinegar, lemon, salt, and pepper in a bowl. Mix well and adjust the seasoning if need be. Using a ring mold place a spoonful of the cilantro sauce down on the plate inside the mold. Then add a few spoonfuls of the lentil salad to the mold and press down slightly so the lentils stay intact when you remove the ring mold. Then slice the portobello a few times and place on top of the lentils. In a small bowl add some basil leaves, radishes, romaine hearts, avocado, salt, pepper, and toss with the leftover juices from the mushrooms. Remove the ring mold and place the salad on top of the portobello. Serve and enjoy!