I know it can sometimes be difficult to get excited about a salad.
I don’t know about you, but I’ve had some pretty boring leaves in my life. Lifeless, plain, and dull. It just makes you want to put your fork down and go hunt down the pizza delivery guy.
I need my salads to pack a punch. They need to have flavour and texture. I need deliciousness in my life, and I won’t compromise.
Which is why I want to introduce you lovelies to this guy! This salad is anything but boring.
The puy lentils are one of my favourites! They may take a bit longer to cook but they retain a bite and aren’t too mushy, which makes them perfect for salads. The almonds also provide the perfect crunch, and you get a somewhat meatiness from the roasted cauliflower.
The mustard dressing is the perfect balance of sweet and sharp, and it just makes the roasted cauliflower sing. The salty olives contrast with the sweetness of the figs, which in turn are perfectly soft with the tender bite of the lentils.
So yea, get excited about this salad!
I’m not usually one to add fruits – especially fresh fruits – to my salads, but I think the figs here really make this. They’re such a tasty fruit, being soft without being mushy and sweet without being sickly. Such a versatile thing!
This is also one of those salads that actually keeps quite well in the fridge, so if you wanted to bring it to work with you simply pack it overnight with the dressing on the side and toss together when you’re ready!
If you’re not vegan, you could serve yours with some crumbled soft goats cheese as well. This is definitely the time and place for soft goats cheese!
For those of you who are lactose intolerant, goats cheese is actually much easier for the body to digest than regular cow’s milk, as it is much lower in lactose (though it still has a little bit).
When choosing dairy products, always try and go for full-fat. If you can get your hands on raw goat’s cheese, even better!