Lentil & Goat Cheese Salad

Ingredients

Lentils:

• 1 cup dried lentils (1 cup dried lentils = 2 cups cooked)
• 1-3 large cloves garlic (whole)

Dressing:

• 2 T plus 2 tsp red wine vinegar
• 
¼ tsp sea salt
• 2 tsp balsamic vinegar
• freshly ground black pepper
• 1½ tsp Dijon mustard
• 3 T plus 2 tsp olive oil
• 2 T chopped fresh dill or 1 T dried

Salad:

• 4 green onions, finely chopped
• 1 large celery stalk, diced
• 1 medium carrot, peeled, diced
• 
1 cup peeled & diced cucumber

Directions

1) Cook Lentils: Fill 2 qt saucepan halfway with water. Add lentils and garlic, bring to a boil, reduce heat to a simmer. Cook uncovered until lentils are tender but not mushy (15-20 min.) Drain, remove and discard garlic, cool lentils to room temperature.

2) Make Dressing: In a small bowl, whisk together vinegars, mustard, dill, salt, and pepper (to taste). Slowly add oil, whisking constantly. Set aside. (You can make this a day ahead. Cover and refrigerate, but bring to room temp before using.)

3) Mix With Salad: In a medium bowl, mix lentils with green onions, carrot, celery, and cucumber. Gently mix in dressing. Adjust taste with a little salt as necessary. Let sit for 15-60 min at room temp. Garnish individual servings with goat cheese and fresh dill sprigs.

From Jen Johnson (adapted from The Oregonian)