Sparkling Lentil Salad

Ingredients 

For the salad

🍓 1 cup of wild rice 

🍓 1 cup of dried lentils ( 3 cups of cooked lentils )

🍓 1 large sweet potato 

🍓 salt 

🍓 vegetable oil 

🍓 3 cups of green kale 

🍓 1 small apple diced 

🍓 1 avocado cubed 

 🍓 1 cup of red bell pepper 

 🍓 1/2 cup of pepitas (pumpkin seeds!)

🍓 1/2 cup of dried cranberries 

🍓 1/2 cup of feta cheese  optional

For the dressing 

🍓 1/4 cup of olive oil 

🍓 1/4 cup of tahini 

🍓 3 tbsp of lemon juice 

🍓 2 tsp of dijon mustard 

🍓 1 tbsp of maple syrup

🍓 2 tbsp of water

🍓 1/2 tsp of salt 

Instructions 

1. Preheat the oven to 400ºF. Dice the sweet potato into 1/2" cubes. Toss them with 1 tsp salt and 2 Tbsp of vegetable oil. Bake for 30-40 minutes or until they are golden brown and soft. A fork should be able to poke right through them very easily. 

2. Cook the lentils.  In a small pot on the stove, add in the 1 cup of dried lentils, and fill the pot with water just a little above the lentils. Let come to a boil and then bring down to medium heat.  Let cook for 20 minutes. The lentils may lose their water. If that happens keep filling the pot up with water or else the lentils will burn. 

3. Cook the rice. 

4.  In a large bowl,  rip the kale into small pieces and then massage the kale  with the remaining 2 tsp of salt (or lemon juice if you prefer). To massage kale, pick it up in your hands and rub it around until it is soft and wilted. 

5. In the bowl with the kale, add in the cooked rice,  cooked lentils, baked sweet potatoes, apple chunks, avocado pieces, bell pepper,  pepitas, dried cranberrries, and feta cheese. 

6.  For the dressing, in a small bowl, mix the olive oil, tahini, lemon juice, dijon mustard, maple syrup, water, and salt. 

7. Pour the dressing onto the salad and mix thoroughly.