Vegan Lemon Chickpea Lentil Salad

Start by cooking the lentils according to package instructions. I usually add a few bay leaves to the boiling water, it brings out the natural earthy flavour of lentils. Once cooked, rinse under cold water and set aside.

While the lentils are cooking, you can use this time to start on the vegetables. Dice the peppers, onion, and cucumber. Make sure to deseed the cucumber before dicing, as it will prevent the salad from becoming watery.

In a large salad bowl, combine the cooked lentils, rinsed chickpeas, diced vegetables and chopped herbs. Combining them while lentils are slightly warm, will help the vegetables maintain their crunchiness and the herbs to infuse their flavor into the mix.

Now, it's time to prepare the lemon vinaigrette. In a small bowl, whisk together the lemon juice, olive oil, minced garlic, salt and pepper. I recommend using freshly squeezed lemon juice for an extra zing!

Finally, pour the lemon vinaigrette over the salad and toss until everything is well coated. Season with additional salt and pepper if needed.