Spinach, feta and pomegranate salad with lentils

I will be taking my annual spring trip to Korea soon. I normally do this in May because it is the best time to visit Korea in terms of weather and my mom’s birthday usually falls in May (her birthday is based on lunar calendar so it changes every year, I am not kidding)…Anyways, this means it is time to clean out the fridge and cupboards. I don’t always get lucky with what I find, but this time a bag of organic red split lentils and a gorgeous pomegranate caught my eye, yay! Instead of trying to remember what I was going to do with them in the first place or come up with a fancy recipe I just decided to go with something simple and fresh. Besides, I was a little busy packing…Regardless, the result was very satisfying. It was tasty, nutritious and pretty to look at :-).

• Prep & Cooking time: 15-20mins
• Serves: 2

Ingredients

• 1 cup. red split lentils
• 2 cup. water
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 1 bay leaf (optional)
• 3 tbsp. fresh pomegranate juice
• 1 ½ tsp. pure honey
• 1 tsp. red wine vinegar
• 1 tsp. fresh lemon juice
• 70g. baby spinach
• 80g. feta cheese
• salt and black pepper to taste
• lemon zest and pomegranate seeds to garnish

Place lentils and water in a pot. Add a cinnamon stick and bay leaf. Bring it to a boil then turn the heat down to medium and simmer for 10 minutes. This way you will have a bit of bite in your lentils. If you want softer texture, use 3 cups of water and cook the lentils for 15 minutes. Season with salt and black pepper.

Meanwhile, mix pomegranate juice, honey, red wine vinegar and lemon juice. Season with black pepper and set aside.

Plate spinach, crumbled feta cheese and pomegranate dressing. Garnish with fresh lemon zest and pomegranate seeds. Serve it with cooked lentils.