Lentil Rice & Fruit Salad is a scrumptious vegan meal made with good carbs and loads of protein. Yum!
Lentil Rice and Fruit Salad is yummy as a main dish salad or a side dish.
Lentil Rice and Fruit Salad is a healthy meal-in-one.
Main dish or side dish, this Lentil, Rice and Fruit Salad is a recipe you will make over and over. If you know me, you know I love Moosewood Restaurant recipes. This delicious, vegan recipe is filled with flavor and good-for-you goodness. The original recipe comes from the Moosewood Restaurant Daily Special cookbook, which is fast moving into my Number One cookbook spot.
Filling, scrumptious and fab. It is dairy-free, gluten-free, vegan, and pack with 5.9 grams of protein per 7-ounce serving. This is a terrific main dish salad to take to a potluck supper or picnic.
What You Need
You will need a good set of heavy bottomed pans, knives, cutting board, measuring cups and spoons, a wire whisk and a serving bowl. The best lentils are French Green Lentils, in my humble opinion. Get yourself some for this recipe.
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Lentil, Rice and Fruit Salad Recipe
Author: Recipe Idea Shop
Ingredients
- 1 cup uncooked brown rice
- 4 ⅔ cups water
- 2 bay leaves
- 2 cloves garlic (minced)
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme (scant teaspoon)
- ½ cup dried green lentils (or brown lentils, but green are better)
- 1 medium Gala apple (crisp, cored and diced)
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 cup seedless grapes (cut in half)
- 1 large red or green pepper (diced)
- 1 celery stalk (diced)
Vinaigrette Dressing
- ¼ cup olive oil (extra virgin)
- 2 tablespoons white or red balsamic vinegar
- 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
- 2 cloves garlic (minced)
- 1 tablespoon minced fresh tarragon (or 1 teaspoon dried)
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
Instructions
Cook the Rice and Lentils
- In a small, heavy pot with a tight-fitting lid, combine the rice, 1 ⅔ cups water, 1 bay leaf, 1 garlic clove and ¼ teaspoon thyme.
- Bring to a boil.
- Reduce the heat to low, cover and simmer until the rice is tender (about 40 minutes).
- In another pot, cook the lentils in 3 cups of water with the remaining bay leaf, garlic and thyme. Simmer until crisp tender, 15-20 minutes, adding water if needed.
- Drain any excess liquid.
Cut the Vegetables and Fruits
- While the rice and lentils cook, core and slice the apple and toss it with lemon juice to prevent discoloration.
- Cut the grapes into halves.
- Remove stem and seeds of the pepper, and dice it.
- Dice the celery.
Make the Vinaigrette
- Whisk together all of the vinaigrette ingredients until well blended.
Combine and Serve
- Combine the rice and lentils; remove the bay leaves.
- Mix the rice and lentil mixture with half the dressing and set aside to cool for about 10 minutes.
- Stir in the fruit and vegetables and the remaining dressing.
- Add the fruit and vegetables mixture to the lentil/rice mixture, stir, and serve.
- Can be served warm, at room temperature or cold.
Kathy acquired the blog, Recipe Idea Shop in 2024. She was raised on a farm in Arkansas where having a big garden and good food to eat was the norm. She shares recipes for homemade comfort food and new trending dishes.
Kathy began her blogging journey in 2011 when she founded PetticoatJunktion.com, a home décor blog focused on repurposing and upcycling furniture, and thrift store finds.