Awhile ago I was contacted by Melissa’s Produce asking if I would be interested in trying out some of their new products, and of course I said yes! As much as I love cooking a meal completely from scratch, sometimes I just don’t have the time and I was so excited to get these steamed and packaged foods in the mail!
Not only are they steamed, packaged, and ready to go, they are also all GMO free which is a huge plus! And if you look closely you can see that the garbanzo beans are PEELED!! I’ve talked a little bit in the past about my experiences with peeling garbanzo beans and they are no fun! Pretty much one of my least favorite things to do. I have another very special recipe planned for those garbanzo beans so stay tuned 🙂
We eat a lot of potatoes in this house and I usually spend at least half an hour either roasting them or boiling them before adding them to a dish. I also cook with lentils quite a bit which take about 30-40 minutes to soften when boiled. As I said before, I really do love cooking everything from scratch, but this salad that normally would have taken about 45 minutes to throw together only took 15 and it was so good!
It is one of those salad recipes that is so good to bring for lunches throughout the week because it just gets better and better the longer it sits in the lemon dijon dressing. Salads aren’t usually the first thing you think of this time of year, but this salad will leave you warm and satisfied even if your house is covered with snow drifts right now! I honestly can’t believe some of the photos I have been seeing from the East coast! I don’t think I’ve ever seen so much snow in my life. I hope all my East coast friends and readers are staying warm out there!! If not, it was 70 degrees today and we have an extra room! Although you might have to share it with a certain orange cat. I would say he doesn’t bite but that would be a lie 🙂
PrintWarm Lentil, Kale & Potato Salad with Lemon Dijon Dressing
- Yield: 2-3 1x
Ingredients
- 2 teaspoons olive oil
- 17.6 ounce package of steamed & peeled potatoes or about 15 baby potatoes*
- 1 1/2 cup steamed lentils
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
- 1 bunch lacinato kale, 3-4 cups chopped
- 1 handful dried cranberries, about 1/4 cup
- 1/4 cup toasted pecans or walnuts
- salt, to taste
- pepper, to taste
Lemon Dijon Dressing:
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 2 teaspoons dijon mustard
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 1/4 teaspoon maple syrup, or honey
- salt, to taste
- pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Heat a large pan over medium heat and add olive oil. Cut potatoes into quarters and add to the pan. Season with salt and pepper and cook until crispy and browned, about 12 minutes. Add garlic, thyme and lentils and stir for 2 minutes. Then add the kale, cover and cook for another 2-3 minutes until kale is starting to soften and wilt. Transfer to a large bowl and add dried cranberries and toasted nuts.
- Make the dressing by adding all dressing ingredients into a small bowl and whisking until combined. Pour dressing over salad and toss to coat.
Notes
*If you are not using pre-packaged steamed and peeled potatoes, peel baby potatoes, cover with cold, salted water and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and simmer for about 20 minutes until they are fork tender but not too soft. Drain, pat dry, and then cut into fourths and follow above directions.
- Category: Entree, Salad, Gluten Free, Vegan
What kind of lentils did you use? Thank you!
I actually used pre-cooked brown lentils but you could really use any kind of lentils you like!
Do we have to peel the baby potatoes? Mine are really tiny red potatoes?
Unpeeled will work just fine!
Hi! Would you have the serving portion (in cups) with the amount of calories including the dressing? Thanks!
Hi Emily, I don’t currently have that information but I can try to get it posted soon!
Fabulous! This is one great tasting recipe. Delicious and easy to make–who could ask for more! I cooked my potatoes in the pressure cooker than browned in the pan and they came out moist and tasty with a crisp crust. My husband doesn’t like kale so I chopped the kale extremely fine and he actually ate it. I certainly do enjoy your blog. Good job!!
I’m so glad you enjoyed this recipe, Theresa! I’m also really impressed you got your husband to eat kale!! 🙂