French Lentil Salad

(recipe from wholeliving.com)

2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 red onion, finely diced
1 carrot, finely diced
1 stalk celery, finely diced
1 cup French green lentils, rinsed
salt & pepper
1 Tbsp. lemon juice
1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes
1/2 cup toasted almonds, roughly chopped (optional)
1 cup shredded red cabbage
1 cup torn fresh herbs, such as flat-leaf parsley, tarragon, basil, and/or mint

In a medium saucepan, heat 1 Tbsp. oil over medium heat.  Add onion, carrot, and celery, and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 6 minutes.  Add lentils and cover with 2 inches of water.  Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer until lentils are tender, about 20 minutes.  Drain and season with salt and pepper.  Let cool.

In a medium bowl, whisk together remaining oil, lemon juice, and pepper flakes.  Season with salt.  Add lentils, almonds (if using), cabbage, and herbs and toss to combine.

Refrigerate lentil salad in an airtight container up to 3 days.

(I made this using parsley and omitting the almonds.  Such a good lunch salad!  Make sure to let the lentil mixture really cool well, so when you combine with the cabbage and parsley at the end, everything stays crisp and vibrant.  Stores and travels well, good at room temp or refrigerated.)