Lentil & Avocado Salad

If you're in a hurry for lunch, this protein-packed vegan healthy salad is for you! It will only take you 15 minutes to make and it's delicious!

I came up with this salad combination many years ago on my first trip to South Africa. I can't even remember why I chose those ingredients, maybe that was just all that was available for a salad. But whatever reason it was, the salad was an instant hit with my South African family and I made it every time I went there. So having been to South Africa recently made me realize that I can make it here too of course! So here's my super quick and super yummy lentil salad.

The great thing about this salad is that it's super fast! I'm using a can of brown lentils as a base which just means draining and rinsing them and you're done. Feel free to cook the lentils yourself but I just cannot be bothered for time saving reasons. Canned legumes are a great way to save time and the ones I use have no additives.

Your next step will be to quarter your tomatoes. I love using cherry tomatoes for salads because they tend to be much sweeter and flavor-packed than the bigger ones. Actually, the tomatoes I used are date tomatoes which is a common shape to get here but cherry tomatoes work the same. As long as they're small! You also have to cut the avocado and chop the cilantro. Mmmmh, I just love cilantro so much!! By the way, I always use the stems as well since they hold a lot of flavor!

When I still ate soy, I used soy sauce in the dressing which was so yummy! But since I found out that I'm soy intolerant, I've been using fish sauce instead. It's obviously not the same taste wise but a worthy alternative. The dressing also contains lemon juice, sesame oil, olive oil, maple syrup and salt. Sesame oil has such an amazing flavor and I love adding a splash to dishes!

Will you make this salad soon? Or how about my Roasted Veg Salad & Tahini Dressing?