Warm Lentil Salad

Adapted from the Fresh 365 site... go visit, you won't be disappointed!

I substituted a few items (sliced almonds for walnuts, spinach for lettuce, feta for goat cheese) and it was all good in the hood.

Ingredients

For the Salad:

1 1/2 cups green or yellow lentils, rinsed
3 cups water
2 tablespoons fresh thyme leaves
1-2 t salt
Packet of baby spinach leaves
1/2 cup chopped walnuts or sliced almonds, toasted
2 tablespoons minced red onion
Crumbled feta or goat cheese

For the Dressing:

2 tablespoons minced sun dried tomatoes
6 tablespoons olive oil
3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
2 teaspoons honey
1 teaspoon salt


Directions

In a saucepan, add lentils, water and thyme leaves. Bring to a boil, cover, and reduce heat to low. Simmer 20-25 minutes, until lentils are just tender. Meanwhile, in a jar or small bowl, whisk together dressing ingredients. Remove lentils from heat when cooked through, and gently stir in salt, to your taste.

Divide spinach leaves among bowls. Top with lentils, nuts, red onion and cheese. Drizzle dressing on each salad, to taste. Garnish with additional thyme leaves if desired. Serve immediately.

Scones

Adapted from Alice Waters' "The Art of Simple Food," these puppies are seriously easy to whip up. Also, I usually make a batch and keep them at work for a great breakfast, even in the midst of craziness.

Besides being nice and crunchy around the edges and they're not too dense or sweet. Instead of dried apricots, try dried cherries, cranberries, raisins, chocolate chips, fresh blueberries, or, my next choice when I make these scones, frozen cranberries.


Ingredients

2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour (or whole-wheat pastry flour)
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup sugar
1 1/3 cups cream
2 tablespoons butter, melted
1 1/2 tablespoons sugar (you can use regular sugar or the darker, all-natural sugar aka Demerara sugar, which is what I used)
1/2 cup dried fruit (optional, and of your choice) or, alternatively, fresh berries or frozen ones.


Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Measure, and mix together in a large bowl the flour, baking powder, salt and sugar.

Stir in the cream, and mix until the dough just starts to come together, it will be wet and sticky. Stir in (optional) the fruit at this point, if you wish. Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface, and knead briefly, just until the dough is brought completely together and the fruit is well-distributed.

Pat the dough into an 8-inch circle, and brush with the melted butter. Sprinkle the dough with the sugar, and cut the dough into 8 wedges. Place wedges approximately 1-inch apart on a baking sheet lined with parchment, wax paper, or a silicone liner.

Bake for 17 minutes or until golden brown along the edges.