Lentil Fusilli Salad with Chicken

• 225g red lentil fusilli pasta (approx. half a package)
• 1 head broccoli
• 1 orange pepper
• 1/2 cup olives, pitted and halved
• 1/4 cup chopped red onion
• 1/4 cup sundried tomatoes, diced
• 1 pint mini tomatoes, halved
• 3 cooked chicken thighs
• olive oil
• salt and pepper

Boil water and turn flame down to low/medium.  Stir in pasta and cook for 8 minutes.  Drain.

Meanwhile chop up broccoli into bite size pieces, put into a pot with an inch of water and boil/steam with lid on until tender but firm, roughly 8 minutes.

Chop up remaining ingredients and place in a large bowl.  Add pasta and broccoli when they are finished cooking.

Add oil, salt and pepper to taste.  Add more as desired.

Red Lentil Pasta vs. Brown Rice Pasta

We were a brown rice pasta type of family until I discovered red lentil pasta.  Now it is my go-to pasta. Both are gluten-free.  Win-win.

Per 100g, here is how they measure up:

• Protein: 13g vs 7g
• Fibre: 6g vs 3.5g
• Calories: 350 vs. 350
• Fat: 1g vs 2.7g

But, don’t lentils have lectins?  Yes lentils have lectins.  Lectins bind to your intestines, block absorption, and damage the gut lining, causing the body to battle the dreaded leaky gut and then have to divert proteins from other tasks in order to repair it.  But, once lentils are cooked, their lectin levels drop dramatically.

It all comes down to this, and this is our philosophy where all food is concerned: how do you personally feel after you eat them?  Good – great.  Not so good – it’s your call if you want to eat them or not!