In my last recipe, tasty porridge with grilled pineapple, I used only half of the pineapple. Therefore, in this recipe, I will show you an easy way how to use the second half. Check out this healthy brown lentil pineapple salad.
Pineapple is an amazing fruit. Not only does it go great with sweet dishes but it makes a great combo with savoury dishes as well. Moreover, pineapple is a fantastic addition to meat dishes. Check out the pizza and chicken dishes I made to get more inspiration.
You can use fruits in almost all recipes. I love to incorporate fruits in salads and meat dishes. And especially pineapples give your dishes a fabulous fruity touch. My tip to you is: always buy a fresh pineapple instead of canned one. Why? Because it simply tastes better! But let’s go back to the brown lentil pineapple salad.
Furthermore, I combined it with lentils. Somehow people don’t consume lentils that often; which is a big shame. Lentils have a slightly earthy flavour and are a great source of magnesium. Moreover, they are rich in carbohydrates, which help your body to burn fat. What are you still waiting for? Run and buy some lentils today!
The most common way to prepare lentils is boiling them. The cooking time varies depending on which lentils you use. I chose the brown ones. They don’t need soaking and they cook quite fast. In addition to that, brown lentils don’t get mushy easily. The fact is, brown and green lentils stay firm after cooking, while orange, yellow and red lentils get mushy fast. Therefore they are the best option for soups.
In order to give more freshness and some crunch to the brown lentil pineapple salad, I used a cucumber. Now, you can remove the seed part and peel it, but I personally think the skin gives a nice texture and that extra crunch. In addition, cucumber has zero calories! In fact, 95% of it is water.
This great brown lentil pineapple salad is fresh and healthy. It makes a great meal or a side dish and it is ready in only 30 minutes.
Ingredients for 2-4 portions of brown lentil pineapple salad:
- 100 g brown lentils
- 1 cucumber (sliced)
- 1/2 pineapple (fresh, cubed)
- 1-2 spring onions
- 4 Tbsp of olive oil
- salt and pepper
- 1 lemon (juice and zest)
Start with rinsing the lentils under cold running water. Then place them in a saucepan and add some water. Usually, the proportion lentils to water is 1:2 or the water should barely cover the lentils. Don’t add any salt just yet. Better to season at the end of cooking. Bring them to boil and then reduce the heat to low. The less bubbles you see, the better. Let it simmer for about 20 minutes or until tender but firm (depending on the lentils you are cooking check the cooking time on the package). Once cooked, strain and season them.
In the meantime, wash and cut the cucumber either in slices or cubes. As said, you can peel them or remove the seeds if you like. Furthermore, cut off the pineapple peel and cut the sweet pineapple into cubes.
Then, clean and chop the spring onion. For the dressing, combine lemon juice, lemon zest, olive oil and black pepper in a small bowl. The lemon zest will give a lovely fresh kick to the salad.
Finally, it is time to put together the brown lentil pineapple salad. Combine the lentils, pineapple, cucumber and spring onion in a bowl. Add the dressing and gently toss. Serve this salad in summer or winter. It will power up your lunch.
Enjoy!
PS:
If you like the recipe, if you make the recipe or if you have any new ideas how to improve or change it, let me know in the comments section below or alternatively share your photos and reactions with me on Instagram (@Passionspoon), Facebook or Twitter (@PassionSpoon1). Simply use the hashtag #passionspoonrecipes in your posts. I would love to see them! (wink)
