Grilled Corn Salad With Lentil and Watermelon

This delicious vegan salad is perfect for summer. It is packed with bold flavors, it's satisfying and nutritious. At first sight it is a simple, summery salad, with seasonal, budget-friendly ingredients. But when you taste it, it’s impossible not to fall in love. It is perfect for lunch, dinner or picnic and it is a genius way to use that big slice of watermelon that has been patiently waiting in your fridge for days.

The recipe: www.vespresso.cooking/en/corb-and-watermelon-salad

Ingredients (for 4 servings):

• 1 can of lentils (250g lentils)
• 2 ears of corn (250g corn)
• 1/8 of a medium watermelon (250g watermelon cubes)
• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• ½ lime
• 10g chives
• salt to taste

Tools:

• an outdoor grill (or a stovetop grill)
• a sharp chef's knife (a vegetable knife - optional)
• a cutting board
• a clean kitchen towel
• a bowl

Abbreviations:

• tsp = teaspoon
• Tbsp = tablespoon

Preheat an outdoor grill on high. Lightly oil the grill.

Prepare your corn. You can shuck your corn (remove the husk completely) or you can remove the husk partially, from top to bottom, leaving it attached to the bottom part. Remove the silk. Divide the husk into 3 sections, braid it and tie it at the end.

Place the corn directly on the preheated grill, and cook, turning occasionally, until it's charred and cooked through. It will take about 10 minutes.

While the cobs are still hot, cover them with a towel and let them rest for about 5 minutes.

While the cobs rest, prepare the watermelon.

Cut the large watermelon slice into smaller sections with a sharp chef's knife. Take each section and cut off its peel.

Cube the sections and cut each cube into 2 triangles.

With a vegetable knife remove as many seeds as possible. If your watermelon is seedless, you will obviously skip this part.

After the 5 minutes have passed, take a cob and cut off its bottom (the part with the braid) - for stability.

With the same sharp knife cut the kernels off of the cob, from top to bottom. Repeat all the way around the cob.

Place the corn into a medium bowl.

Rinse the chives under cool water and pat them dry with a paper towel. Finely chop the chives.

Rinse the cooked lentils and drain them very well.

Add the drained lentils to the bowl, add the olive oil, chopped chives and about 1/4 tsp of salt. Stir very well with a spoon and give it a taste. Add extra salt only if necessary.

Spoon the lentils and corn salad over a large platter. Garnish with watermelon triangles and sprinkle with the juice of half a lime just before serving.

Serve the salad alone or as a side for grilled fish or chicken.

Place the leftovers in a bowl, cover with cling film and refrigerate for up to 2 days.

Vegan Tips & Tricks:

For some extra protein and healthy fatty acids, feel free to add 1 – 2 Tbsp of hemp seeds just before serving.

Vegetarian Tips & Tricks:

Although it is delicious as it is, this salad becomes exquisite by crumbling some feta cheese over the top of the salad..