Salmon Bowl with Kale and Lentils

Recipe by The View From the Great Island

There’s something so tactile and satisfying about dinner in a bowl.. a meal like this Salmon Bowl with Kale and Lentils that you can cradle in your hands and eat cross-legged on the couch.  It’s also incredibly healthy and cost effective, so let’s hear it for more dinners in bowls in 2016! Plates are basically a Western idea, and not a very practical one at that.  The other half of the world has been hip to the benefits of bowls forever and it’s time we caught up. In a bowl everything mingles together and there’s a wonderful sense of equality — flavors get a chance to combine with each other, and  hunks of meat can’t lord it over the veggies.  Bowls have a built in portion control too.  But if you’ve never fully embraced the concept you might be a little confused as to how to put one together.  Don’t worry, it’s easy, and since we’re not going for any particular culinary tradition here, there’s a lot of flexibility in what you put inside.  There are a few layers to this dish, but they can all be made ahead and assembled multiple times and in multiple ways, so it’s a versatile …

Ingredients

• one bunch of kale
• ¼ cup sunflower seeds
• ¼ cup dried cranberries
• ¼ cup pistachios (rough chopped)
• 6 tbsp olive oil ((divided))
• 3 tbsp of your favorite vinegar, I used fig vinegar
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 cup French lentils
• 1 yellow bell pepper
• 1 lb wild salmon fillet
• more olive oil for brushing
• salt and pepper
• garnish
• thinly sliced green onions

Method

1. Rinse your kale well in cold water. Shake it dry and then dry it with a clean towel. Remove the tough spines from each leaf.
2. Pile the leaves on top of each other and use a sharp knife to slice it as finely as you can. Put it in a large bowl, you'll need about a handful of greens for each serving.
3. Toss the kale with the sunflower seeds, cranberries, and pistachios.
4. Whisk the oil and vinegar together, and season with the salt and pepper. Drizzle enough on the kale to moisten it all, and toss. Refrigerate.
5. Cook the lentils in vegetable or chicken broth, according to the package instructions.
6. Meanwhile heat a grill pan over medium high hear until very hot.
7. Brush the salmon with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Grill for several minutes on each side, just until barely done in the center. The time will vary according to how thick your fish is.
8. Brush the yellow pepper with oil and put it in the grill as well, turning it to get charred on all sides.
9. Slice the salmon into four pieces. Halve the pepper, remove the ribs and seeds, and slice into thin strips.
10. Put a handful of the kale salad into each of four bowls. Add a good amount of the warm lentils on top. Arrange the salmon, pepper strips, and red onions around the top.
11. Garnish with green onions.

View the recipe instructions at The View From the Great Island