Orange Sesame Salad Dressing (with lentils)

The idea for this recipe came to me in the middle of the night.  Earlier that evening I had been brainstorming ideas for a unique lentil salad recipe. My conscious self didn’t have any ideas though, so after I fell asleep my subconscious took over and woke me up to say, “instead of putting lentils in the salad, put them in the dressing!” I had recently made an orange sesame dressing that was too liquidy so lentils were the perfect addition to thicken it up a bit!

Top 5 reasons for eating lentils

1) Source of iron. Since iron is the most common nutritional deficiency in the world, I’m fanatical about choosing foods that are high in iron. The amount of iron in lentils doesn’t hold a candle to meat, but… you can’t really add meat to granola. Except maybe bacon. Bacon goes with everything.

2) High in folate. Did you know that folate is a vitamin that can keep your heart healthy? Researchers aren’t exactly sure why, but high folate intake through food is associated with lower risk of heart disease. 

3) High in fibre. One serving of lentils (3/4 cup) has 6 grams of fibre! Fibre can regulate bowel movements, keep the colon healthy, lower cholesterol, control blood sugar, and help achieve a healthy weight. 

4) High in potassium. Think of potassium as the antidote to sodium. When a person consumes more sodium than potassium, blood vessel health and blood pressure is compromised. Most North Americans’ ratio of sodium to potassium is off. Lentils are naturally low in sodium and high in potassium.

5) Good source of other vital nutrients. Lentils contain a good dose of other nutrients such as magnesium, zinc, selenium, pantothenic acid, and niacin.

What to serve it with:

This salad dressing tastes great on a…

Chicken Mandarin Salad with Almonds:

• chopped romaine
• sliced cucumber
• almond slices
• mandarin orange segments
• cooked and sliced chicken

If you give this recipe a go, let me know! Leave a comment, rate it, or snap a photo and tag it with #smartnutritionrecipes on Instagram!  I’d love to see your creations! Knowing someone has enjoyed one of my recipes always makes my day brighter.  

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Orange Sesame Salad Dressing (with Lentils)

Print Recipe

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup vinegar
• 1/2 cup orange juice
• 1/2 cup of lentil puree or canned lentils drained and rinsed (see note)
• 2 tablespoons sesame oil
• 2 tsp soy sauce
• 1/2 tsp ginger powder
• 2 cloves of garlic

Instructions

• Combine all ingredients in a blender.
• Turn blender on low and then up to high speed.
• Blend until smooth.

Notes

• To make a lentil puree, measure out 1 cup of lentils into a pot. Cover with 2 1/2 cups of water. Bring to a boil then turn down to a simmer. The lentils are done when most of the water has been absorbed.

Calories:

Author: Jessica Penner

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