Wild Rice Lentil Salmon Pilaf
French lentils, also known as lentilles du Puy, hold their shape once cooked, making them perfect for salad-style dishes. Canned salmon provides a source of heart-healthy omega-3 fats and protein, but look for brands made with sustainably sourced wild salmon, which delivers superior taste. If desired, you can also use dried cherries in lieu of pomegranate seeds. It’s best to add the dressing just before serving, so bring it with you in a separate glass jar and simply shake it up before drizzling it over the rice mixture.
Pilaf
1 cup (250 mL) wild rice
1 cup (250 mL) French green lentils
Seeds of 1 pomegranate fruit
2 celery stalks, thinly sliced
1 cucumber, chopped
1/2 cup (125 mL) fresh mint, roughly chopped
1/2 cup (125 mL) sliced pecans
3 - 5 1/2 oz (160 g) cans wild salmon, drained
Dressing
3/4 cup (180 mL) carrot juice
2 Tbsp (30 mL) extra-virgin olive oil or camelina oil
2 Tbsp (30 mL) cider vinegar
2 shallots, minced
Zest of 1 lemon
1 tsp (5 mL) dried thyme
1 tsp (5 mL) ground coriander
1/2 tsp (2 mL) chili flakes
1/2 tsp (2 mL) salt
1/4 tsp (1 mL) black pepper
Rinse rice well with cold water. Place rice and 4 cups (1 L) water in medium-sized saucepan. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer, covered, for 30 minutes. Turn off heat and let stand, covered, for 25 minutes, or until rice reaches desired tender texture. Drain and set aside to cool.
In separate pan, bring lentils and 4 cups (1 L) water to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, covered, until lentils are tender, about 30 minutes. Drain and set aside to cool.
In large container or bowl, toss together rice, lentils, pomegranate seeds, celery, cucumber, mint, and pecans. Gently fold in salmon.
Whisk together carrot juice, oil, vinegar, shallots, lemon zest, thyme, coriander, chili flakes, salt, and pepper.
When ready to serve, place salad on serving plate and drizzle with dressing.
Serves 8.
Each serving contains: 344 calories; 24 g protein; 12 g total fat (2 g sat. fat, 0 g trans fat); 37 g total carbohydrates (5 g sugars, 6 g fibre); 405 mg sodium
source: "The Lunch Bunch", alive #378, January 2015
Wild Rice Lentil Salmon Pilaf
Directions
Matthew Kadey, MSc, RD
Matthew Kadey is a dietitian, nutrition writer, and recipe developer. He is also the author of Rocket Fuel (VeloPress, 2016) and Muffin Tin Chef (Ulysses Press, 2012).
READ THIS NEXT
SEE MORE »
Curried Lentil Stuffed Squash
Serving saucy lentils in squash halves is a sure-fire way to elevate your plant-based menu. And, yes, the whole bowl is edible, skin and all. If desired, you can add dollops of Greek yogurt or sour cream. Spice of life Garam masala, a blend of spices traditionally used in Indian cooking, usually includes cardamom, black pepper, cloves, nutmeg, fennel, cumin, and coriander. It’s great on roasted meats and vegetables.
Kartoffelknödel Potato Dumplings Stuffed with Toasted Bread and Spinach
“Germans do potatoes in general very well,” says Canadian expat Chris Gilles, who now lives in Munich and has celebrated many an Oktoberfest there. “Knödel seem kind of rubbery. You don’t really think it’s potato when you first see it, but it’s tasty.” But he might be surprised to find that this alive -inspired version of Bavarian potato dumplings is made with a combination of potato and cauliflower, because as anyone who’s eaten cauliflower gnocchi knows, the low-carb vegetable is a great way to lighten up starch-heavy foods (and Biergarten menus). Happy Knödelfest! The original version of these snacks are so popular that it even gets its own food fest: Knödelfest, which happens in September in Austria, about a 1 1/2-hour drive from Munich. If alive threw a Knödelfest, these dumplings would definitely be on the menu, served simply as snacks with sliced radishes and fresh parsley or dill, or topped with butter, beer gravy, or mushroom sauce. The dumpling test You can test one dumpling by shaping it and then boiling it before shaping the rest. If the water is lower than a boil and it still falls apart, add more starch to the batter before shaping another ball and testing again.
Dunkel Beer-Marinated Rotisserie-Style Chicken
This dark beer-marinated chicken uses the convection setting on your oven to create a crispy skinned bird. Convection cooking circulates air around the meat, crisping it like rotisserie without needing a spit or a lot of oil, similar to an air fryer (which you can also use!). If you don’t have a convection setting on your oven, you can simply bake the chicken for longer at the same temperatures as below, until a meat thermometer inserted in the thickest part of the thigh reads 165 F (74 C). You can use any dark beer, but our pick is, obviously, something German. Oktoberfest barbecue You can also grill the whole chicken on a barbecue—which makes for an impressive presentation and a gorgeously crispy bird—but it’s best to spatchcock it first (take out the backbone) so it cooks more evenly and quickly. Make it fast! If you don’t want to make an entire chicken—or if you want your dinner to cook faster—use this marinade (without stuffing the chicken cavity) on chicken breasts, thighs, or iron-rich chicken livers instead.
Gluten-Free Pretzels
At Oktoberfest celebrations in Munich, there are always people walking around selling large pretzels, says Canadian expat Chris Gilles, who moved to the city in 2018. The large pieces of golden, twisted pretzel dough come topped with coarse salt for a savoury crunch with every bite. “They don’t come with any dipping sauce,” Gilles says, “but you could dip it in sauce if you had ordered something else”—say, the honey mustard or stone-ground mustard you might have with your bratwurst or sauerkraut balls. But don’t feel bad if you prefer to break from German tradition and dip them in caramel or tahini instead! There’s no need to flour a surface when rolling out your dough; the psyllium keeps it from sticking.