Beluga lentil salad with leftover cobs and grilled cheese

It’s hard to say exactly how many cobs of corn you’ll need to boil for your cornucopia. Don’t worry… just round up generously, so you’ll have lots of leftover corn to use in future meals. (TIP: freeze it to stock up on summer flavour when it’s cold!). There’s no shortage of ideas for using leftover cobs, so start with this colourful, refreshing main dish salad.

Ingredients

3/4 cup (175 mL) dried black beluga lentils, rinsed. You can find Canadian organic lentils, among others, at Aliments Merci.
750 ml (3 cups) shucked corn, cut in large chunks (± 4 ears)
500 ml (2 cups) cherry tomatoes, cut in half
500 ml (2 cups) watermelon cubes
3 green onions, chopped
1/4 cup (60 mL) fresh mint, finely chopped
1/2 cup (125 mL) fresh parsley, finely chopped
30 ml (2 tablespoons) strong mustard
45 ml (3 tablespoons) cider vinegar
2.5 ml (1/2 teaspoon) honey
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
60 ml (1/4 cup) sunflower oil
Salt and pepper to taste
A few drops of your favourite Quebec spicy sauce (optional)
1 piece, approx. 200 g Quebec grilling cheese, cut into 15 slices

Preparation

Bring a one-litre cauldron of water (4 cups) to a boil and simmer the lentils in the water for 20-25 minutes. Drain and pour into a large salad bowl.
While the lentils are cooling, prepare the vinaigrette in a small bowl by mixing the mustard, vinegar, honey and garlic, then whisking in the oil. Salt and pepper to taste, and add a few drops of hot sauce, if desired.
Add the tomatoes, watermelon cubes, green onions and herbs to the lentils in the bowl.
Pour the vinaigrette over the salad and mix gently.
In a nonstick skillet or on the barbecue, toast the cheese slices for about 2 minutes per side, or until the slices are nicely browned.
Serve the salad with a few slices of grilled cheese. Adjust salt, pepper and hot sauce to taste.

Preparation

25 minutes

Cooking

35 minutes

Servings

6 portions