Even though the selection of veggies and fruit is often not as good in winter as it is in spring or summer, you can still prepare a lot of delicious dishes. Winter veggies, such as red beet, are perfect for a salad. The best example I can think of there, is this Lentil Salad with Red Beet & Halloumi. Packed with vitamins and really delicious!
Even though red beet is a typical winter veggie here in Germany, you can get them all year round – fresh or cooked and pickled. I used the pre-cooked and packaged version for this salad here… just to save some time. If you want it simple and easy, these pre-cooked veggies are the best. Cooking fresh beet (e.g., in the oven) is not particularly complicated, but it takes quite some time to do. Time that you don’t always have, right?! ;)
You can serve a salad like this as a main course or as a side along with some meat, fish, or chicken… it’s also a great option for a salad buffet. However, if you want the salad to survive for a longer period of time, I would perhaps replace the rocket with a »more robust« type of salad. When rocket comes in contact with a dressing, it wilts quite quickly. Salads such as iceberg, romaine, or lamb’s lettuce are perhaps more suitable here.
When preparing the lentils, make sure they do not get too soft. Lentils should still have a little bite if you want to use them in a salad. If the lentils are overcooked and mushy, they won’t make a tasty salad. In that case, you should use them for a dip. It’s better to cook them a little shorter than for too long ;P
We like to add crispy fried halloumi to our salads. Instead of croutons, for example. It takes a little time to prepare them, though. Halloumi is easy to cook/fry, but also burns quickly. I recommend preparing it in small batches here. If you don’t care about carbs, you can use croutons instead, of course – homemade or store-bought. Both works well for this salad here. ;)
Salads like this one here can be easily adapted to suit someone’s preferences. If you are not a big fan of red beet, you can switch ’em with grilled bell peppers, for example. If you don’t like that either, you can simply use cherry tomatoes and cucumbers instead. All of these additions work well with the lentils.
If you change the veggies, you have to keep in mind, that some veggies might not want to be sitting in a dressing for a longer period of time. ;P Red beets or grilled peppers don’t really care how long they are in contact with a salad dressing. More sensitive types of lettuce or veggies may not like this as much and get mushy quickly. But who am I telling this… you probably all know what works and what does not. ;)
If you like beets and stuff like that, you might also want to take a look at these recipes here. My Salad with Roasted Broccoli, Chickpeas & Feta (and obviously with red beets) tastes just as good in summer as it does in winter. If you want to put something special on the table, you should try my Harissa Roasted Cauliflower with Beet Hummus. Not only is it extremely tasty, it also makes a great showstopper on the dinner table. ;)
INGREDIENTS / ZUTATEN
(4 servings)
For the lentils:
some olive oil for frying
9 oz. (250g) red lentils*
1/2 tsp. ground cumin
1 1/4 cups (300ml) water
3 shallots, finely sliced
salt, pepper
For the salad dressing:
5 tbsp. olive oil
5 tbsp. apple cider vinegar
2 tbsp. sweet mustard*
1 tbsp. honey
salt, pepper
For the salad:
some oil for frying
9 oz. (250g) halloumi*
2-3 beetroots (cooked), in small cubes
5.3 oz. (150g) rocket salad
5.3 oz. (150g) sweetcorn
salt, pepper
2 tbsp. pomegranate seeds (optional)
fresh cress/sprouts (optional)
some chili flakes (optional)
(4 Portionen)
Für die Linsen:
etwas Olivenöl zum Anbraten
250g rote Linsen*
1/2 TL Kreuzkümmel
300ml Wasser
3 Schalotten, in feinen Ringen
Salz, Pfeffer
Für das Salatdressing:
5 EL Olivenöl
5 EL Apfelessig
2 EL süßer Senf*
1 EL Honig
Salz, Pfeffer
Für den Salat:
etwas Öl zum Anbraten
250g Halloumi*
2-3 Rote Bete (gekocht), in kleinen Würfeln
150g Mais
100g Rucola
Salz, Pfeffer
2 EL Granatapfel Kerne (optional)
frische Kresse/Sprossen (optional)
einige Chiliflocken (optional)
DIRECTIONS / ZUBEREITUNG
1. Heat up a small saucepan with some olive oil. Add the lentils and ground cumin and fry for a minute or so. Deglaze with the water, reduce the heat and let the lentils simmer for about 8-9 minutes – until the water has been completely absorbed. The lentils should be soft but not fall apart yet.
2. Peel the shallots and cut them into fine rings. Transfer the cooked lentils to a bowl, add the shallot rings and mix to combine. Season with a little salt and pepper.
3. For the dressing, mix the olive oil with the apple cider vinegar, sweet mustard, and the honey. Season with some salt and pepper and add to the bowl with the lentils – mix well.
4. Pat the halloumi dry and cut it into thin slices. Heat up a non-stick frying pan with some oil and fry the halloumi in batches until nicely browned – this takes a few minutes. Place the fried halloumi on some kitchen paper and let it drain.
5. Cut the beetroots into small cubes. Wash and drain the rocket. Add the beetroot, corn, and rocket to the bowl with the lentils and mix in. Season with more salt and pepper if needed. Add the fried halloumi. Sprinkle the salad with pomegranate seeds, fresh cress or sprouts and some chilli flakes (all optional) and serve.
Tip: You can prepare the salad some time in advance and store it in the fridge. However, I recommend frying and adding the halloumi in this case right before serving and leave out the rocket and cress/sprouts and add that as well only when ready to serve.
1. Etwas Öl in einem kleinen Topf erhitzen. Die Linsen und den Kreuzkümmel dazugeben und für 1 Minute anrösten lassen. Mit dem Wasser ablöschen und die Linsen dann für etwa 8-9 Minuten bei reduzierter Hitzezufuhr köcheln lassen, bis das Wasser komplett absorbiert wurde. Die Linsen sollten weich/gar sein, aber nicht komplett zerfallen.
2. Die Schalotten schälen und in feine Ringe schneiden. Die gekochten Linsen in eine Schüssel umfüllen und die Schalottenringe dazugeben und untermengen – mit etwas Salz und Pfeffer würzen.
3. Für das Dressing das Olivenöl mit Apfelessig, süßem Senf und Honig verrühren. Mit Salz und Pfeffer würzen und dann zur Schüssel mit den Linsen dazugeben – alles gut vermengen.
4. Den Halloumi trockentupfen und in dünne Scheiben schneiden. Eine beschichtete Pfanne mit etwas Öl ersetzen und den Halloumi dann portionsweise von allen Seiten für einige Minuten darin anbraten. Den angebratenen Halloumi auf Küchenpapier abtropfen lassen.
5. Die Rote Bete in kleine Würfel schneiden. Den Rucola waschen und abtropfen lassen. Rote Bete, Mais und Rucola zur Schüssel mit den Linsen dazugeben und untermengen. Falls notwendig, noch einmal mit Salz und Pfeffer würzen. Den angebratenen Halloumi untermengen. Den Salat mit Granatapfel Kernen, frischer Kresse oder Sprossen und einigen Chiliflocken bestreuen (alles optional) und dann servieren.
Tipp: Man kann den Salat auch gut vorbereiten und erst später servieren. Dann sollte man den angebratenen Halloumi allerdings auch erst später zubereiten und untermengen – den Rucola und die Kresse/Sprossen sollte man hier ebenfalls erst kurz vor dem Servieren dazugeben.
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Here is a version of the recipe you can print easily.
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Lentil Salad with Red Beet & Halloumi
- Prep Time: 00:40
- Cook Time: 00:10
- Total Time: 00:40
- Yield: 4 1x
- Category: Salad
- Cuisine: International
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
Salad is a great option for a weeknight dinner – this Lentil Salad with Red Beet & Halloumi is delicious and will fill you up good! ;)
Ingredients
For the lentils:
some olive oil for frying
9 oz. (250g) red lentils*
1/2 tsp. ground cumin
1 1/4 cups (300ml) water
3 shallots, finely sliced
salt, pepper
For the salad dressing:
5 tbsp. olive oil
5 tbsp. apple cider vinegar
2 tbsp. sweet mustard*
1 tbsp. honey
salt, pepper
For the salad:
some oil for frying
9 oz. (250g) halloumi*
2-3 beetroots (cooked), in small cubes
5.3 oz. (150g) rocket salad
5.3 oz. (150g) sweetcorn
salt, pepper
2 tbsp. pomegranate seeds (optional)
fresh cress/sprouts (optional)
some chili flakes (optional)
Instructions
1. Heat up a small saucepan with some olive oil. Add the lentils and ground cumin and fry for a minute or so. Deglaze with the water, reduce the heat and let the lentils simmer for about 8-9 minutes – until the water has been completely absorbed. The lentils should be soft but not fall apart yet.
2. Peel the shallots and cut them into fine rings. Transfer the cooked lentils to a bowl, add the shallot rings and mix to combine. Season with a little salt and pepper.
3. For the dressing, mix the olive oil with the apple cider vinegar, sweet mustard, and the honey. Season with some salt and pepper and add to the bowl with the lentils – mix well.
4. Pat the halloumi dry and cut it into thin slices. Heat up a non-stick frying pan with some oil and fry the halloumi in batches until nicely browned – this takes a few minutes. Place the fried halloumi on some kitchen paper and let it drain.
5. Cut the beetroots into small cubes. Wash and drain the rocket. Add the beetroot, corn, and rocket to the bowl with the lentils and mix in. Season with more salt and pepper if needed. Add the fried halloumi. Sprinkle the salad with pomegranate seeds, fresh cress or sprouts and some chilli flakes (all optional) and serve.
Notes
You can prepare the salad some time in advance and store it in the fridge. However, I recommend frying and adding the halloumi in this case right before serving and leave out the rocket and cress/sprouts and add that as well only when ready to serve.
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