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Estimated reading time: 5.5 min

A guest post by Farida Al-Rimawi

This salad bowl is inspired by Mexican flavors, which I really adore. It makes nourishing dinner that you can put together in less than 30 minutes.

Besides being delicious, it's packed with nutrients, fibers, and protein, and is gluten free. You can enjoy it and lose weight at the same time.

If you want an easy-to-make delicious dinner that will also keep you in shape, I got a perfect recipe for you! This lentils with avocado salad bowl is low in carbohydrates and glycemicx index, and is full of fiber, protein, healthy fats, and antioxidants.

I wanted to make a salad bowl like this one since forever! Mixing veggies with beans or lentil, with an egg on top - something delicious and nourishing for the body, too.

Why Should You Make This Salad?

We often eat without thinking about what ingredients our meal consists of and what our body is getting out of it, concentrating just on its taste.

Let me show you how much more enjoyable your meal can be if, apart from its great taste, you are also aware of how healthy it is and which nutrients each ingredient provides your body with. 

Lentils

Lentils are one of the best and cheapest available option for good protein and a very nutritious legume. They are very high in protein, have high amounts of B vitamins like folate, B1 and B6 and minerals like iron, zinc and manganese. Also, lentils can lower cholesterol.

Avocado

Avocado is a fruit that contains protein, good amount of fiber, and is low on sugar. It is also high in vitamins K and folate, and minerals like potassium.

Although avocado is high in fat, this fat is monounsaturated, which is good for the heart. Also, avocado can lower cholesterol and reduce risk of metabolic syndrome.

Eggs

Eggs are another cheap source of high quality protein - the animal kind, which has all the essential amino acids your body needs in balanced ration.

Eggs also contain vitamin B12, which is necessary for keeping your nerve and red blood cells healthy.

Spinach

Spinach is a power source of nutrients. I really converted from its hater to its lover! It has more nutrients when it is raw, especially of the vitamins B and C. But other nutrients like the fat soluble vitamins (the vitamins that need fat in order to get used by the body) and iron content are found in a greater amount when it's cooked.

Although spinach contains a lot of iron, it also contains phytates, an "anti-nutrient", which inhibits iron absorption by 80%.  That's why to counteract this effect and help your body absorb the iron, you need to add citric acid (lemon juice, orange, tomato, some strawberries, etc.) while eating spinach. This recipe, for example, uses lemon juice.

And don't forget the rest of the ingredients: The juicy tomato, crunchy corn, and tangy lemon with fresh cilantro.

This salad makes a filling dinner, and you can use the leftovers (if any) for your lunch the next day. 

Ingredients

1/3 cup lentils, cooked

1 medium avocado, sliced

1 cup spinach leaves, chopped

1/2 cup of corn, fresh or canned

Few cilantro sprigs

1 medium tomato, sliced

2 tbs of freshly pressed lemon juice

Salt and black pepper to taste

1/2 tsp of cumin for seasoning (optional)

A fried or poached egg (optional)

Directions

If you don't have cooked lentils ready, measure a cup of uncooked lentils and boil them with 3 cups of water for 30 minutes or till they are tender enough but not mushy.

Put cooked lentils in a small deep bowl and season them to taste with salt, pepper and cumin.

Arrange the vegetables and the lentils on a plate as you wish, and squeeze fresh lemon over.

Add fried or poached egg (optional) and enjoy your salad.

Refrigerate any leftovers if any.