Lentil and Green Olive Salad (p. 79)

It's very rare that I'm home during the day to make lunch for myself, but yesterday I was and wanted to make something light and healthy but also filling. The last time I made a light lunch I used the Lentil and Walnut Salad recipe, so this time I opted for a variation -- a lentil and green olive salad.

The preparation for this one was pretty similar to that of the previous salad -- the lentils are cooked in water with a whole onion and garlic clove, as well as salt and pepper.

Once the lentils are cooked (about half an hour) they are drained and the vegetables are removed and discarded.

While the lentils were cooking I sliced a red pepper into thin strips and tossed them with coarsely chopped pitted green olives.

These were mixed, along with olive oil and lemon juice, into the cooked lentils. The lentils are laid on a bed of greens and topped with some strips of lemon zest.

I served this with leftovers from a couple of weeks ago -- shrimp with garlic, lemon, and olive oil that I had frozen raw in its marinade. This time I just prepared the shrimp by sautéing them over low heat.

This was a lovely and light little lunch. The salad wasn't as good as the previous one I did, but it still had nice flavors and was enjoyable. I probably wouldn't make it again, but I don't mind eating the leftovers. And the shrimp was just as good (and messy) the second time around.

lentils -- $1.39 (3/4 of the bag is left)

garlic -- $.59 (just used one clove)

mixed greens -- $3.09 (most are left)

olives -- $2.08

red pepper -- $2.99

lemon -- $.46

Total Cost of Lentil and Green Olive Salad: $10.60