Recipe:

Lentils –
1 cup french green lentils (rinsed and picked through for rocks and stuff)
4 cups water (lentils should be covered by a few inches of water)
1-2 whole cloves of garlic
1-2 bay leaves

Bring water, lentils, and aromatics up to a boil. Cover and lower the temperature to a simmer and cook for about 20 minutes. Drain and transfer to a bowl or serving dish for this salad.

Vegetables –
You can roast any variety of vegetables you like, or saute them on the stove. I used onion, carrot, and zucchini this time.
1 carrot (peeled and diced)
1/4 large yellow onion (diced)
1 medium zucchini (diced)

Add carrots and onion to oil in a hot pan, and season with salt and pepper. Cook until carrots start to become soft, add your zucchini and continue to cook for a few more minutes, until all is cooked to your liking. I kept a little texture in the carrots and zucchini. Add these vegetables to your lentils and toss.

(I cooked the onion separately, to appease Brandon’s hatred of onions. I only tossed them with my portion of the salad)

Dressing

1 clove garlic (grated or chopped finely)
2 Tbsp red wine vinegar
1 tsp dijon mustard
1 tsp honey
3 Tbsp olive oil
Salt and Pepper

Add all ingredients into a small bowl except for the oil. Slowly drizzle the oil in while stirring or whisking until the dressing comes together. Pour this over the lentil and vegetable mixture

Sumac Shrimp
This salad can be served without shrimp, but I wanted it to be a complete meal. 

I dried the shrimp with a paper towel, seasoned with salt, pepper, and sumac (sumac isn’t needed, you can always add lime or lemon zest in place of sumac). I cooked the shrimp in butter over a medium heat for only a couple of minutes per side.

I also added some shaved raw golden beets to my plate. Not necessary, just had them in my fridge.