1 pound cooked beets, cut into 1/4-inch cubes

2 cups cooked green lentils

1/2 cup red bell pepper, finely diced

1/4 cup red onion, finely diced

1 stalk celery, finely diced

1 tablespoon lemon zest

1 tablespoon walnut oil

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

1/2 cup walnuts, chopped

3 tablespoons lemon juice

1 tablespoon red wine vinegar

1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

3 cloves garlic, minced

pinch nutmeg

3 tablespoons walnut oil

salt and pepper to taste

bunch beet greens

few sprigs fresh dill, chopped

Place beets in a bowl. Add lentils, red peppers, red onions, celery, and lemon zest.

In a small frying pan, heat the walnut oil over medium-high heat for 30 seconds. Add cumin and stir for 30 seconds. Add walnuts and stir-fry for 2 minutes or until starting to brown. Add to the salad, scraping off the cumin and oil from the pan; toss gently.

In a small bowl, whisk together lemon juce, vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, garlic, and nutmeg. Add walnut oil; whisk to emulsify. Pour over the salad and fold everything together. Salt and pepper to taste.

Steam or boil the beet greens for no more than 2 minutes; drain immediately and refresh in iced water. Trim the stalks and discard. Arrange the leaves around the rim of a serving plate.

Transfer salad to the center of the plate and garnish liberally with chopped dill. This salad can be served immediately or it can wait up to 2 hours, covered and unrefrigerated.

Notebook...

Swiss chard makes a perfect substitute for the prepared beet greens.

To prepare beets, click here.

To prepare lentils, click here.