Today's Recipe - Mediterranean Lentil Salad

Today's Recipe
If you don't know what to serve for dinner tonight ...

This easy to prepare Mediterranean-style recipe makes a great side salad or a perfect vegetarian lunch or dinner addition to your Healthiest Way of Eating. It provides you with a wealth of health-promoting vitamins and minerals including 220% of the daily value (DV) for vitamin K, 135% DV for vitamin C, 107% DV for molybdenum and 79% DV for vitamin A. Enjoy!

Mediterranean Lentil Salad
 
Prep and Cook Time: Prep: 20 min; Cooking: 25 min; Chill: 1 hr
Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup dried green lentils (you want to end up with 2 cups cooked)
• 2 cups water
• 3 oz canned/jar roasted bell peppers*, chopped
• 2 TBS finely minced onion
• 2 medium cloves garlic, pressed
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh basil
• 1/3 cup coarsely chopped walnuts
• 3 TBS balsamic vinegar
• 1 TBS fresh lemon juice
• 2 TBS + 2 TBS extra virgin olive oil
• salt and cracked black pepper to taste
• 1 bunch young dandelion leaves or arugula, chopped
• * If you prefer, you can roast the bell peppers yourself

Directions:

1. Wash lentils, remove any foreign matter, and drain.
2. Combine lentils and 2 cups lightly salted water in medium saucepan. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and cook at low temperature for about 20 minutes, or until lentils are cooked but still firm. Cook gently so lentils don't get mushy. When done, drain any excess water, and lightly rinse under cold water. Continue to drain excess water.
3. Mince onion and press garlic and let sit for 5 minutes to bring out their hidden health-promoting benefits.
4. Place lentils in a bowl and add peppers, onion, garlic, basil, walnuts, vinegar, and 2 TBS olive oil. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Marinate for at least 1 hour before serving.
5. Toss dandelion or arugula with 2 TBS olive oil, 1 TBS lemon juice, salt and pepper. Serve on plate with lentils.

Serves 4 Printer Friendly Version of Mediterranean Lentil Salad
In-Depth Nutritional Profile for Mediterranean Lentil Salad
Healthy Food Tip

Can you tell me about white tea, and is it true that white tea is even better for you than green tea?

White, green and black tea all come from the same plant (Camellia sinensis), but white tea is made from the unopened leaf buds of the plant, whereas green tea is made from the more mature, opened leaves. (Black tea is also made from mature, opened leaves, but undergoes a controlled fermentation process that results in its darker color.)
Both white and green tea contain a phytonutrient that has been high up on the radar screen in health research. This phytonutrient is a polyphenol called epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG). EGCG is the primary polyphenol in both white and green tea, and it's a key reason why researchers have been interested in the properties of white tea with respect to prevention of cancer development (tumorigenesis). At this point we only have preliminary animal studies and in vivo laboratory studies in this area. These studies not only fail to look at everyday intake of white tea as part of a daily diet but also often involve specialized extracts made from white tea. But I am hoping that researchers will find enough reason in these preliminary studies to move on to large-scale human studies that examine the potential benefits of white tea drinking in an everyday Healthiest Way of Eating.
I would not call white tea "better" or "worse" for you than green tea. I think of both teas as having health benefits and as being different in their composition.
As always, quality is important when you are purchasing white or green tea, and I recommend organic teas produced by companies that have a reputation for high standards.