I couldn’t for the life of me come-up with an interesting name for this meal, but that doesn’t mean that this meal doesn’t rock…because it does. This salad in a pepper bowl covers all the bases; protein, complex carbs, and vitamins galore not to mention the fact that you eat the bowl…no dishes!!!
A few weeks ago I was talking to my daughter’s Kindergarten teacher after school about food and recipes…an almost daily occurance between the two of us (my daughter knows to keep playing when we get on the subject of food, because we are GUARANTEED to be there for a long while) and she mentioned that the last time she was at Trader Joe’s they made a yummy salad by mixing together pre-cooked lentils and bruschetta. Um, yum!
I think I might be single-handedly responsible for purchasing all of Trader Joe’s bruschetta. While I can make my own, this product has saved me so much time and the flavor is amazing. What is NOT amazing is the amount of olive oil they add to it. Rest-assured, I have a solution for this problem. When I buy the bruschetta I put it in the coldest part of my fridge for a day and all of the olive oil floats to the top and solidifies a bit making it quite easy to skim-off and throw in the trash can (better the trash can than my arteries!).
I have been eating this like crazy and it is now a staple in my fridge. I took the liberty of adding some rice to the salad and really enjoy the results.
.
INGREDIENTS
1 container Trader Joe’s Bruschetta (oil skimmed off) 1 box Melissa’s Steamed Lentils 1 bag Trader Joe’s Frozen Rice Medley* OR Frozen Organic Brown Rice*Trader Joe’s Frozen Rice Medley contains barley which is not gluten free
.
Cook the frozen rice by placing it in a glass bowl (NOT in the plastic as the directions suggest) and microwaving for 2-3 minutes.
Mix together the rice, lentils, and bruschetta (including all of the juice).
Cut the top off of a bell pepper and remove the seeds. Spoon the lentil salad into the prepared bell pepper and enjoy!
.
For a printable version of this recipe click HERE.
Talk about an easy, no-fuss dish! This sounds like the perfect thing to pack for a Memorial Day picnic.
This sounds so easy and delicious! I often forget to include legumes and beans in my diet, even though I love them (and need the protein!) So thanks for this recipe!