Petite village

   By Gabriella Vetere, RD

 

Now that all the holidays are out of the way, there are no more excuses for not cooking a healthy meal or spoiling your dinner with cookies.

 

I know it’s sometimes hard to stick to healthy eating habits when you are constantly rushing to a meeting, picking up kids, or studying for exams-but with thoughtful planning and thought, things can be easier on you.

 

One big tip is to make a healthy recipe that you can keep in the refrigerator for days, yet gets better with time. One recipe that my mother and I created was this lentil, black bean, and veggie salad. We both love quick easy salads to have for lunch and as well lentils, so this was a no brainer.

 

There are many health benefits to this meal. The lentils and black beans are what give the salad its’ meatiness while providing fiber and protein. There are carrots that are rich in beta-carotene, bell peppers loaded with vitamin C, and celery for its’ crunch and high water content. The shelled edamame not only bring a bright, beautiful green color to the salad, it also has benefits of soy protein and isoflavones. The dressing also contains vinegar, which helps aid in digestion by increasing the acidity in the stomach and increasing enzyme activity.

 

This salad can be eaten as a side dish with baked chicken or tofu, or served on top of spinach.  Try not to eat the whole salad in one day so you can have extras for the next days lunch or dinner.

 

GREAT TIP:  All products in this salad can be found easily at your local Trader Joe’s market. They carry precooked lentils that if used cuts the time of making this salad in half. If using dried lentils, let them soak overnight to release a lot of the gas causing starch, raffinose.

 

Recipe:

 

Ingredients

2-3 cups lentils (or 1 packaged of pre-cooked Trader Joe’s lentils)

1 can of canned, low-sodium black beans (washed and drained)

1 cup chopped carrots

1/2 cup chopped celery

1 large bell pepper (any color), chopped into small pieces

1/2 cup red wine vinegar

2 tablespoons oil

1 cup shelled edamame

Salt and black pepper to taste

 

Directions

1.  Place all of the black beans, lentils, and vegetables into a large bowl. Season with black pepper and salt to taste.

2.  In a small jar, place vinegar, oil, salt, and pepper into the jar and shake until emulsified.

3.  Dress the salad, mix, and serve.