New Year Lentil Salad

Happy new (calendar) year! I hear it's good luck to serve lentils on new year's, probably to usher in a year of plenty. I like the story, so for New Year's Eve I made this easy and delicious brown lentil salad.

1 can (2 cups) cooked brown lentils, rinsed
1 ripe tomato, diced small
2 cloves garlic, minced small
1/2 cup parsley, minced
1/4 red onion, finely sliced
juice of half a lemon
2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
sea salt and pepper to taste
1/4 tsp ground cumin

First place the sliced onions in a colander and sprinkle generously with salt, about 1 Tbsp. Let sit for 10 minutes.

In a large bowl, place the rinsed lentils, tomato, garlic and parsley. Stir together then stir in lemon juice and olive oil. Season with salt, pepper and cumin.

Rub the onions together with your hand to squeeze out the pungent juices, then rinse well under hot water. Stir into the rest of the lentil salad.

Serve as a side dish, or with rice or other salads. We served ours with stuffed avocadoes on a bed of lettuce leaves! Enjoy and happy new year!