A spring cleanout of the garden has left me with quite a dilemma in the kitchen. The beds are all weeded, prepped with mulch and fertiliser, in readiness for the ensuing summer crops, which alone fills me with excitement (I'm easily elated these days!). The only problem is most of my herbs were ousted in the process. After inspecting my husband's hard work, and giving the thanks and "good job" pat on the back, I silently cringed at the thought of not being able to use fresh herbs of my choice for a while. All that was left was a trumpled clump of garlic chives, a past-its-use-by-date clump of parsley and a small patch of oregano that had decided to relocate to another part of the garden all by itself. He openly cursed me for planting mint in the garden and not in a pot, because it took him ages to eradicate all of it. All of it except one teeny bunch hidden under the chives. Eureka!
As we've all been on a healthy diet kick this past week, not just for weight loss reasons, but for general health reasons, I thought it was time to introduce something foreign to the family. Lentils. Green puy lentils in fact. May as well start with the best to tempt the fussy tastebuds.
Mint is probably the first fresh herb I had tasted as a child. Mud pies with mint leaves on top were a childhood backyard treat. It's the easiest plant to grow (just ask my husband), it has uses from breath fresheners to after dinner sweets, and it makes your kitchen smell fresh, and well....minty.
1 cup lentils
4 cups water
3/4 cup red pepper,chopped
1/3 cup red onion,chopped
2 tablespoons fresh mint, finely chopped
1/2 preserved lemon,finely chopped
6 tablespoons olive oil
6 tablespoons lemon juice
2 cloves garlic,minced
6 ounces feta cheese,crumbled
DirectionsIn saucepan, bring lentils and water to a boil; cook 30 minutes until tender, drain.
Add pepper, onion, preserved lemon and mint.
Refrigerate at least 30 minutes or until ready to serve.
Just before serving, add oil, lemon juice, garlic and feta.
Toss and serve.
Zorra, from Kochtopf, is kindly hosting Kalyn's Weekend Herb Blogging, this time round, and if my mint ever returns, and I'm sure it will, this will be a regular dish on our new "healthy" menu.
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2 comments:
Yes, mint can be quite a traveller in the garden. I use a plastic barrier that you pound down into the ground to keep my mint in it's place. You do have to watch it though or the mint jumps over the barrier! Love the sound of your salad with mint, lentils, and feta. I'd say that's a perfect combination!
Healthy and delicious all you need! I should work in my garden, too but I'm too lazy.
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