A Lentil and Cranberry Salad with spinach, apples, feta, and walnuts, tossed in a simple apple cider vinaigrette. Budget-friendly, filling, and flexible.
1cupbrown lentils(uncooked and rinsed (180g) $0.76)
6oz.fresh spinach(6 cups (170g) $2.18)
½cupdried cranberries(85g, $0.98)
1Granny Smith apple(cored, and small dice (1 cup, 220g) $0.80)
½cupfeta cheese(85g, $2.21)
⅓cupwalnuts(chopped (55g) $1.63)
Vinaigrette Ingredients
1lemon(juiced, $0.58*)
1Tbspapple cider vinegar($0.04)
2tspDijon mustard($0.04)
1tspgranulated sugar($0.01)
¼tspgarlic powder($0.01)
½tspsalt($0.02)
½tspblack pepper(freshly cracked, $0.08)
⅛cupvegetable oil($0.08**)
Instructions
Gather and prepare all ingredients.
Bring 3 cups of water to a simmer in a medium pot. Once it’s simmering, add the lentils. Let the pot return to a simmer and place a lid tilted on top. Allow the lentils to simmer for about 20 minutes. After 20 minutes, taste the lentils to test the texture. They should be tender but not mushy. Drain the lentils in a colander and rinse with cold water to cool.
While the lentils are cooking, make the vinaigrette. Whisk the lemon juice, apple cider vinegar, Dijon, sugar, garlic powder, salt, and pepper in a small bowl until combined.
While constantly whisking, slowly pour the oil into the bowl until smooth. Set aside.
To make the salad, add the cooked lentils and spinach to a large bowl. Add the cranberries, diced apples, feta, and walnuts, then fold.
Drizzle the salad with the vinaigrette and toss to combine.
*You can use 2-3 Tbsp of bottled lemon juice instead of fresh.**I used vegetable oil to make the vinaigrette because that’s what I had on hand. Feel free to use olive oil or any other oils you desire.