Polenta Lentil Salad

I love salads with complex flavors and a variety of ingredients. For the Transition Phase of the Body Rejuvenation Cleanse this past Sunday I created this dish to represent some of the foods that can be eaten over the next 2 weeks of the program. Bursting with flavor this Polenta and Lentil Salad can make a light meal or served with a warm bowl of Butternut Carrot Soup a comforting end to a long day.

For the polenta I used Bob's Red Mill Corn Grits and followed the recipe on the back of the package. When it called for butter to be added I substituted 2 tablespoons of Ghee (clarified butter), and eliminated the parmesan cheese, but added 1/3 cup of nutritional yeast to give it a cheese like taste and loads of B vitamins. I also grated in some dried garlic and black pepper before removing it from the heat. I then poured the polenta into a baking pan and let it cool. 

When cool I sliced the polenta into cubes and served it on a bed of lettuce. I had roasted some locally grown beets in olive oil the night before and spooned these on top along with a few tablespoons of cooked French lentils, some Goji berries (soaked in water about 10 minutes), toasted almonds and a few tablespoons of this fabulous dressing:

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

1 tablespoon fig vinegar

1 tablespoon black current vinegar

3 tablespoons blood orange vinegar

1/2 teaspoon Ume Plum vinegar

Each part of the dish can be prepared ahead of time and assembled when ready to eat. Loaded with protein this dish will give your taste buds the sweet, sour, salty, pungent, and bitter flavors they crave, leaving you sated and satisfied.