Lentil, Tomato, And Goat Cheese Salad - cooking recipe

Ingredients

1 cup lentils (I use brown)
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 bunch green onion, minced
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1/4 cup olive oil
1 1/3 cups diced peeled cucumbers
2/3 cup diced plum tomato (seed if you like)
1/3 cup finely-chopped red onion
2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill or 1 tablespoon dried dill
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley or 1 tablespoon dried parsley
3 cloves minced garlic
6 ounces soft fresh goat cheese, chilled for easier crumbling (like Montrachet)
1/4 cup lightly-toasted walnuts or 1/4 cup pine nuts, with 2 t reserved for garnish (optional)

Preparation

Cook lentils in medium pot of boiling salted water until just tender, about 25 minutes, and drain well.
Whisk together in a large bowl vinegar, green onions and mustard in large bowl.
Gradually whisk in oil.
Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Add lentils and let stand until cool.
When cool, add cucumber, tomatoes, onion, dill, parsley and garlic to lentil mix.
Season again with salt and pepper to taste.
Cover and chill about 1 hour.
Just before serving, crumble goat cheese over salad and mix gently to combine.
If using lightly-toasted nuts, sprinkle over salad and gently mix in, reserving 2 T to garnish on the top.