Lentil Salad with Beets

I have gotten a bit behind on my posts during the busy holiday weekend. In addition to being 4th of July, it was also my husband's birthday. We made time to head to the Farmers' Market at Union Square Saturday morning to pick up some food to supplement our farm share. We got some chicken from Quattro's Game Farm. They also had some pheasant and other birds labeled wild game, and we asked if they were wild animals that they had killed. We learned that they were "wild" breeds that were farm raised because it is illegal to sell the meat of wild animals. Interesting. I think it is misleading to label them "wild." Heritage breeds or something else seems more appropriate, but we bought a cut-up chicken in a bag of marinade and some chicken breasts. We also got some non-homogenized milk from Milk Thistle , a delicious loaf of bread from a Our Daily Bread, and eggs.


We brought home our loot and decided to prepare some chicken in our dutch oven, red quinoa and a cold lentil salad. Here's the recipe for the lentil salad inspired by Martha Stewart:

Lentil Salad with Beets, inspired by Martha Stewart
6 C water
1 1/2 C French lentils
3 medium beets, scrubbed
3 T balsamic vinegar
2 T apple cider vinegar
2 t Dijon mustard
1/4 C olive oil
2 shallots, chopped
pinch of salt
4 carrots, chopped
salad greens
goat cheese

Bring water and lentils to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer uncovered until the lentils are tender, about 20 to 25 minutes. Drain and put aside to cool in a mixing bowl.

Meanwhile, place beets in a medium saucepan. Add enough water to cover. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer, cooking until fork-tender. Remove beets from water, and set aside until cool enough to handle. Peel and slice.

In a coffee cup, combine the mustard, balsamic vinegar, cider vinegar, salt and oil. Add the shallots. Mix the vinaigrette dressing, lentils and carrots. Cover and place in the refrigerator to chill.

When ready to serve, layer the greens, lentil mixture, sliced beets and crumble soft goat cheese over the top.

The first night we had this as a side dish, but we have since eaten the leftovers as a meal.