Cooking is one of my favorite ways to de-stress and it works really well especially when I do it from scratch or I make things like bread or focaccia, those recipes who require patience, several steps, and long times. And when you combine this with the recipe development I do for the blog and for clients, you can imagine how easy it is to end up with some stale bread. What a better way to use it than creating a delicious vegetarian salad with lentils, feta, mint, and blueberries?
I always try to do my best to reduce food waste and get creative with leftovers and to make everyday choices toward a (not perfect but sustainable) “zero waste” kitchen, so I often need to come up with recipes involving stale bread. I love using it to make a special breakfast with a warm French toast (you can find HERE my tips and recipe for it) or to create delicious salads with a bit of extra crunchiness: this is exactly what happened for this recipe.
The bread used in this salad was a sort of brioche bread made with yogurt and a pinch of spices, so it was more flavorful than other options, but you can use any kind of bread for this preparation, simply adjust the amount of spices before serving.
Lentil salad with blueberries, feta, and bread croutons
Ingredients (serves 2):
- 180 g small brown lentils (previously cooked – you can also use Puy lentils)
- 2-3 slices of bread (use a gluten-free option if necessary)
- approx. 100 g fresh blueberries
- approx. 40 g feta
- 2-3 tbsp fresh mint leaves
- a couple of slices of lemon
- approx. 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1/2 tsp ground coriander
- 1/2 tsp ground cumin
- a pinch of black pepper and nutmeg
Prepare the croutons by cutting the bread into small pieces: place it in the oven at 180°C until golden (turning it once), then take out the baking tray, add a drizzle of olive oil and leave the bread in the oven for approx. 1 minute.
In a large bowl, combine the previously cooked lentils with all the other ingredients – wait until the croutons will be slightly warm (or even cold, if you prefer) before adding them into the salad. Mix well and serve with a few slices of lemon.
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