quick and healthy lentil salad

This week at our house we have committed to eating only whole grains and lentils, fruit and vegetables.  We generally consume a lot of all of these things, but mixed in are a lot of sweets and salty snacks.  I feel like I especially indulged in sweets this holiday season, so this is just a good reminder to my body that it probably doesn't need that much sugar. 

This morning I made a quick and easy lentil salad to have on hand for lunches this week. 

Quick and Healthy Lentil Salad

2 c cooked lentils (I used French lentils, but feel free to use any kind of dried lentil)
 **to cook the lentils, bring 2 c lentils and 4 c water to a boil, reduce heat to a simmer, then add 2 bay leaves and 1 t pepper.  Simmer until water is absorbed and lentils are tender, but still whole.
2 T olive oil
1/2 c sliced red onion
4-5 cloves garlic
1/2 c thinly sliced carrots
juice of one lemon
pepper

-saute onion and garlic in olive oil on low heat until tender
-add sliced carrots and saute for 1-2 minutes

-spoon mixture into prepared lentils
-add lemon juice and pepper to taste
-mix well and serve

This is so simple and tasty and good for you.  You can serve this warm as a dinner side dish, or cold as a main dish salad lunch(ok-I guess you could have it warm for lunch too).  I'll spoon a serving onto a heaping bed of greens dressed in lemon vinaigrette, top it with a bit of Italian flat leaf parsley, and finally add a few slices of a gorgeous Beauty Heart radish.