Lentil Salad

For my second food box meal, I made one of our new summer staples (new because I discovered it this early spring). I must confess that I did have a few extra veggies on hand from previous shopping trips. I may have even bought them knowing we would only have greens, maybe. In the fridge I had carrots and pre-cooked beets from good old Trader Joes along with frozen haricot verts (french green beans). The hubs and I love beets. Throw in some feta cheese and we are sold. This recipe is an adaptation of a recipe I found online, though I do not remember where. I had just gotten puy "french" lentils and was not sure how long to cook them or what they went best with. This recipe is so versatile and I ended up using the leftovers in a wrap as a car trip sandwich as we drove to Boston. 1 med red onion, diced and divided 2 cloves garlic, minced 1 T evoo 1 c puy lentils 3 c water 1/2 tsp thyme 1 c. green beans 1/2 c chopped carrots 3 T red wine vinegar 3 T flax seed oil 3-4 cooked beets, diced salt and pepper to taste feta cheese (optional) baby spinach Saute 1/2 of red onion in the oil until translucent, add garlic and saute for 1 additional minute. Add lentils, thyme, and water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover, and let simmer for 30 minutes or until lentils are tender. When 30 minutes have passed, add carrots and green beans to the pot for an additional 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Remove from heat, drain, and refrigerate until cool. Add remaining ingredients together in a small bowl except for feta cheese. Pour dressing over lentils and mix to coat. On a plate or in a bowl, put hearty portion of baby spinach. Top with lentil mixture and feta cheese. Add additional dressing if desired (we always love to add more). The next day I threw the leftovers into a tortilla, surrounded by a piece of lettuce from our box. It was tasty though the beet juice got a little messy. Great road trip lunch though.