Free Healthy Recipe - Green Lentil Salad

Dairy free, Low fat, Low GI, Low sugar, Wheat Free

So many of us suffer from the 4:00pm slump. It's that feeling when you are suddenly so exhausted that you feel like you can't go on unless you have a coffee and a slice. A slice is just my very posh way of saying handful of biscuits, cake, or any thing else that is sweet to cram down our throats the second it strikes. The 4.00pm slump is caused by our sugar levels dropping and the body crying to be picked up. The trouble with the sweet cake and biscuit pick up is, it picks you up very quickly and drops you down almost as fast. The trick is to eat a lunch to sustain your energy levels over this late afternoon period, the body therefore requiring no more than an apple or a few nuts for its afternoon snack.

The GI factor is the measurement given to the rate in which the body converts carbohydrates into glucose. The body converts all carbohydrates into glucose for energy. Foods with a high GI convert quickly and therefore give you an almost instant fix. Foods with a low GI will provide energy for a much longer period.

Legumes are a terrific source carbohydrate for energy, protein, & fibre. They are low in fat and have a low GI. Often neglected as a staple food by our modern fast paced society, they are surprisingly easy to prepare. Today organic cooked legumes can be bought in cans, so those who have ruled them out previously declaring them to be too time consuming now have no excuse.

This salad is a terrific substitute for the lunchtime sandwich. It's packed full of nutrients and just might solve the 4:00pm sweet attack.

Ingredients
2 cups water
1 strip kombu
½ red capsicum finely chopped
1 vine ripened tomato finely chopped
5 mushrooms finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, finely shaved
½ avocado chopped
4 shallots finely cut
½ tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp fresh rosemary, chopped
pinch black pepper
Method

Soak the lentils overnight.

Drain lentils and replace with another 2 cups of water and add the kombu strip and bring to the boil. Once boiled, remove the kombu and reduce heat to simmer. Simmer for 20 minutes and add a pinch of sea salt. Simmer for a further 5 minutes or until tender. Once tender drain and rinse in cold water. In a dry fry pan, roast the garlic shavings until they have toasted and are brown and deliciously fragrant.

Add all the ingredients together, mix the balsamic, olive oil and rosemary together and pour over the salad. Serve with the shaved garlic on top.

Makes 2 servings

Scale recipe to serves

Prep Time: overnight
Cooking Time: 20 mins
Ready in: 20 mins


Suitable for:
Lunch, Snack
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Nutritional Information - Per Serve
Kj 1434 kj
Calories 343 kcal
Fat 20 g
Saturated Fat 3.8 g
Total Carbohydrate 22.8 g
Total Protein 15.4 g
Fibre 10.3 g


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