The Last Meal Salad
Assuming you already have cooked lentils or some other small grain/pseudoseed, this salad and the accompanying dressing takes about 45 minutes to prepare. Once you've made the dressing though, you'll have enough for several other salads, so it's worth the "extra" time.
Servings: 4
Ingredients
Everyday Green Dressing (makes 2 cups)
- 2 cloves garlic
- 3 green onions white and green parts, roughly chopped
- 2 tablespoons drained capers
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- Zest and juice of 2 lemons ideally Meyer
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
- 1 cup whole-milk Greek yogurt plain
- ¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 2 cups firmly packed basil leaves about 8 sprigs
- ¾ cup flat-leaf parsley about ½ a bunch
- 1 cup cilantro* about 1 bunch
- ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
Salad
- 2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 large leek halved and well-cleaned
- pinch Kosher salt
- 4 cups (5 ounces) arugula
- 1 large head (5 ounces) red leaf lettuce chopped
- 1 medium English cucumber finely diced
- 1 cup cherries pitted and halved (or ⅓ cup dried cherries)
- ½ cup black lentils cooked
- ½ cup Marcona almonds coarsely chopped
- ½ cup sheep's milk feta crumbled
- 2 medium avocados pitted and diced
Instructions
Everyday Green Dressing
- In a food processor, pulse together the garlic, green onions, capers, salt, pepper, red pepper flakes, lemon zest and juice, and the honey. Once they are combined, add the apple cider vinegar, yogurt, Parmesan, basil, parsley, and cilantro. With the motor running at the lowest setting, carefully drizzle in the olive oil. Taste and adjust the seasoning as needed (or add more vinegar or oil for your personal taste). Keep covered in the refrigerator until ready to use (up to one week maximally).
Last Meal Salad
- Heat the 2 teaspoons olive oil over medium heat in a large pan. Clean the leek, halve it lengthwise, then slice it into half moons and add to the heated pan. Add the pinch of salt and cook the leeks, stirring infrequently, until the edges become crispy, about 6-10 minutes. Set aside to cool completely.
- While the leek cooks, wash and dry the arugula and lettuce. Chop or tear the lettuce into bite-sized pieces. Add the greens to a large salad bowl.
- While the crispy leek cools, prepare the remaining produce for your salad. Add the diced cucumber, halved cherries, cooked lentils, chopped almonds, crumbed feta, and half the diced avocado to the large salad bowl.
- Once cooled completely, add the crispy leeks to the salad bowl. Drizzle with some of the Everyday Green Dressing, then toss to fully combine. Add the remaining half of the diced avocado, and serve immediately (with extra dressing on the side).
Notes
*Replace the cilantro with some tarragon, dill, or chives if you or a guest has an aversion to the herb.