ISO: Lentils recipe

[Beth]

I have been looking through past issues looking for a recipe I remembered wanting to try. I bought the lentils, now I can't find the recipe. What I remember is a curried lentil salad made with green or brown lentils (but the note said brown would hold their shape better) and possibly some shrimp or chicken? Does that sound familiar to anyone?

[SoCal]

Beth, I'll look tonight but this doesn't ring a bell. Also bumping this up in case someone remembers this one.

[Beth]

Thanks. Maybe it's not a salad, but I'm pretty sure there was curry and lentils. Maybe it was on the website?

[Grace]

Here it is:


CookWare(tm) from Cooking Light(r)

Curried Lentil-Spinach Salad With Shrimp

SOURCE: Cooking Light YEAR: September 2000 PAGE: 103

INGREDIENTS FOR 4 SERVINGS:
3 cups water
3/4 cup dried red lentils
1/2 teaspoon salt, divided
1/4 cup chopped fresh mint
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice (about 2 lemons)
2 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1-1/2 teaspoons curry powder
8 cups torn spinach
2 cups sliced mushrooms
1 red bell pepper, cut into 1/4-inch strips
1/2 pound medium shrimp, cooked and peeled

INSTRUCTIONS:
You can use brown or red lentils in this salad, but the brown hold their shape
better. For an interesting variation, try substituting seared scallops and
fresh cilantro for the shrimp and mint.

1. Combine the water, red lentils, and 1/4 teaspoon salt in a medium saucepan.
Bring to a boil; cover, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer for 20 minutes.
Drain and set aside.

2. Combine 1/4 teaspoon salt, mint, and the next 5 ingredients (mint through
curry powder). Combine 1/4 cup mint dressing, torn spinach, mushrooms, and
bell pepper; toss well to coat. Combine lentils and 1/4 cup mint dressing, and
toss well to combine.

3. Arrange 2 cups spinach mixture on each of 4 plates; top each serving with
1/2 cup lentil mixture. Divide shrimp evenly among salads; drizzle with
remaining dressing. Yield: 4 servings.

NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION:
CALORIES 312 (26% from fat); FAT 9.1g (sat 1.2g, mono 5.6g, poly 1.4g);
PROTEIN 23g; CARB 38.5g; FIBER 9.7g; CHOL 65mg; IRON 8.3mg; SODIUM 573mg; CALC
161mg

[Beth]

That's it! Thank you, Grace. I was beginning to think I dreamed the whole thing up, but I'm copying it over to Mastercook before I lose it again. Thank you again.

[Beth]

Well, I tried this, and I'm not sure if it was what I expected or not. The mint I have in our garden is called "chocolate mint" because it smells like one of those chocolate covered mint paties. After this salad, I was reminded of those York peppermint patty commercials.

DH made the dressing, so I'm not sure if he packed the measuring cup or if our mint was that strong. It was kind of like eating a salad with a built-in breath mint. I was expecting to taste the curry, but there was just a hint under all that mint. The shrimp we all but lost too. DH was less than impressed, but said we could try it again with less mint or a different kind.