Herby Lentil Salad & My Favorite Salad Dressing

Lentils: love em. I cooked a big batch this morning so that I have them on hand to toss into dishes all weekend; 1/2 cup of dried lentils yields nearly 2 cups cooked lentils, so a little goes a long way. They're economical tiny protein powerhouses, and I'll put them in just about anything. Curry, salad, soup, you name it. Today I needed a healthy pick-me-up after bingeing on unhealthy snacks yesterday (cough - leftover Easter chocolate and chips - cough), so I literally threw a little bit of everything in the fridge into this salad. 

I started with a handful of mixed baby leaf lettuce salad, then topped it with an heirloom tomato, some sliced Persian cucumber, olives (a lot of olives, because I buy them in bulk at Costco I love them so much),  spring onion (scallion), and two heaped tablespoons of my cooked lentils. I tossed them on while still warm, because I think the contrast of temperature and texture makes salads really interesting and more delicious. Then I topped it off with chopped tarragon (vastly underrated herb, in my opinion) and basil, and finished it off with my favorite salad dressing. One word: YUM. Seriously, yum. It's a salad that actually fills you up, too, thanks to the mighty little lentils. 

Check out the recipe for my favorite dressing - it takes 10 seconds to make, and can keep in the fridge for up to a week. Baby food jars are the perfect size for shaking it up!