Recipe from today's kickoff

Thanks to everyone who attended our kickoff event today! It was a really successful luncheon -- great speakers, great food, great audience. We hope people left with some good concrete ideas of things we can do to reduce hunger in our community.

One of the dishes at the lunch was my citrus-dijon lentil salad. Some people requested the recipe, so here it is -- it's easy and a great way to include lentils in your diet beyond lentil soup. Lentils are a great food for sustainable eating: they're a healthy vegetarian source of protein, and as one of the most ancient legumes, they're a hardy plant that doesn't require too many resources to grow.

Citrus-Dijon Lentil Salad
(Serves 12 as a side, or 6 as a main dish.)

1 lb lentils (green, brown, or French)
1 tsp salt

1 small onion, diced
2 medium carrots, diced
2 celery sticks, diced
1 Tbsp vegetable oil

1 orange (optional)
1 lemon
1/4 to 1/2 cup red wine vinegar
1/2 cup olive oil
1 large clove garlic, pressed or grated
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/4 tsp dried thyme
1/2 tsp prepared brown or dijon mustard
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground black pepper

1) Rinse the lentils and place in a large pot with enough water to cover the lentils by several inches. Add 1 tsp salt.

2) Bring the lentils to a boil. Simmer for 30-40 minutes, stirring occasionally, and adding more water if the lentils have absorbed it all. Remove from heat when the lentils are cooked but still firm (not mushy), and drain liquid.

3) Meanwhile, in a separate skillet, sauté onion, carrots, and celery in vegetable oil over medium heat. Cook until the onion is soft and the carrot and celery are crisp-tender.

4) Zest the lemon (and optional orange) into a small bowl. In a measuring cup, combine the juice from the lemon, 1/4 cup red wine vinegar, and enough vinegar or orange juice to make a total of 1/2 cup of liquid.

5) Add the juice and vinegar to the zest, then add the olive oil, garlic, oregano, thyme, mustard, salt, and pepper. Whisk together thoroughly.

6) Combine the drained lentils, vegetables, and dressing and mix together gently. Taste for seasoning -- if the salad tastes too flat, add more vinegar, and if it tastes too bland, add more salt.

Serve warm or at room temperature. If possible, prepare a day ahead so that the flavors have time to meld. Enjoy!