Chopped Lentil Salad

I;m a salad girl. Given the chance I would chose a salad over almost anything. As part of my resolutions for the New Year I vowed to get better at bringing my own lunch. Not only does it save me money and time but it take the hassle out of deciding what or where to eat. Sometimes I make my lunch while I make my breakfast, but if I know my morning will be busy I will sometimes prep in the morning and leave the lunch on the fridge for me to grab the next day. Bringing a salad is great, but there is just one small problem. I love a big salad, and lugging around a big container in my purse all day is a little frustrating. Enter the knife - but chopping all the ingredients in my salad it reduces the volume and gives me just as much food. One of my favorites are this chopped lentil salad. This recipe uses broccoli stems, one of the parts of the broccoli that is usually ignored, but oh so underestimated. Gluten-free and vegan this can be enjoyed by almost everyone.

Chopped Lentil Salad

Ingredients

• 1 cup spinach
• 1 cup kale
• 1/2 cup cooked brown lentils
• 1/4 avocado
• 1 oz red onion
• 1 oz shredded carrots
• 1 oz shredded broccoli stems
• 1/2 lime
• 1 tbs balsamic vinegar

Cooking Directions

1. Chop the spinach, kale, avocado and onion into small pieces. Add the shredded carrots, broccoli stems and lentils. Squeeze the lime over the salad and add the balsamic vinegar. Enjoy.