Meatless Monday : Warm Lentil Salad with a Poached Egg

How BORING was that Super Bowl? Not even the commercials were any good! I was expecting to bawl like a hungry baby at the Budweiser commercial with the puppies, but I just got this confused deja vu feeling that they had done a similar commercial a couple of years ago. Talk about stale. And I am so very sorry to any and all Denver fans out there- after the first half it was just mean what Seattle was doing to y'all.

But tell me about your Super Bowl food! Our party had the normal fare: taco dip, sausage/velveeta/rotel dip, pizza and wings. All of it was so good but it left me feeling weighed down and in need of a good, clean Meatless Monday savior. 

Typically, replacing the "main element" in dishes to make them meatless has been the most challenging aspect for me during meal planning for Meatless Mondays. (Wow that was a lot of M's in one sentence...) I suppose that's the trickiest part for everyone when they first get started. 

But who doesn't love lentils? They're hearty, easy to make and oh so cheap! The best part about this salad is it's completely customizable. Want more carrots? Craving some cauliflower? Hate spinach? Done and done. Leftovers of these lentils taste great and they reheat well, and adding a creamy poached egg makes this completely protein packed and utterly delicious.

I made this one last week and wish I had some leftover for today's lunch to counter all of the junk food from yesterday's affairs. (P.S. Did you know that Super Bowl Sunday is the second busiest night for ordering pizza for delivery? I personally advocate making your own, but just a fun tidbit for you). This recipe is so good that I even had some of the leftovers for breakfast with a couple of poached eggs, and it was oh so savory and amazing. Please make it soon- your taste buds will thank you.

One Year Ago: Roasted Vegetable Soup

Warm Lentil Salad with a Poached Egg

Serves 4
A Butter Than Toast Original



1 cup lentils of choice (I love green and French)
2 cups water
1 bay leaf
Seasonings of choice (I used a pinch each of garlic powder, parsley flakes, black pepper and a squirt of lemon juice)
Heavy pinch of salt

Rinse lentils in a strainer under cold water, pick out any foreign bodies that may exist (probably won't find anything, but is always a good practice). Bring 2 cups of water to a boil and add the lentils, bay leaf and chosen seasonings. Leave the salt out for now. Cook at a rolling boil for 1 minute then reduce heat until the water is just simmering, cooking another 20-25 minutes, until the lentils are tender and no longer crunchy. Drain any extra water, remove the bay leaf, return to the pan or a large bowl and stir in the salt.

1 tablespoon olive oil
2 medium carrots, peeled and diced
1 medium stalk celery, diced
1/2 medium white onion, diced
3-4 cups baby spinach, chopped
2 leaves of kale, stems removed and leaves chopped
1 clove garlic, minced or crushed
2-3 tablespoons low sodium vegetable or mushroom broth
Salt and pepper to taste

While the lentils are cooking, heat the oil in a skillet until it's shimmering. Add the carrot, celery and onion and sauté until onion is translucent. Add the greens, garlic and broth (to help steam the greens) and reduce heat to low, stirring until kale is wilted.  Combine the veggies to the lentils, stir then taste. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Water
2 tablespoons distilled white vinegar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon olive oil
4 eggs

In a deep skillet or wide sauce pot, add enough water to come 2/3 up the side of whichever pan you use. Add the vinegar, salt and olive oil. Bring the water to a simmer, then remove the pan from the heat, leaving burner on (hear me out- it's temporary). Add eggs one at a time off the heat by cracking them into a ramekin or ladle and gently sliding them into the water. Return to burner for 15-20 seconds to reheat the water, then turn the burner off completely and cover the pan with as tight fitting of a lid as you can find. Do not disturb eggs for 4 minutes, then remove with a slotted spoon and drain on a paper towel. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and serve atop lentil salad.