The night before Charlottesville went down, I had a dream—or a nightmare, really. Alex had stayed up that night and seen early reports of hate groups with torches, but I had gone to bed before him and missed hearing this news. In my dream, a violent regime was forcing me to commit violence against innocent people. Funny enough, it was led by two friends who in real life are some of the kindest people I know. Anyway, the scene I remember was that the leader demanded that I commit a violent act against someone. I refused and spoke out: I don’t believe in this. Why are we doing this? I felt trapped and kept trying to escape, the way you do in nightmares. But the regime wouldn’t let me go. They commanded that I commit these terrible acts.
I woke up completely terrified, and realized I was in my bed and it was 6:30 am. I can’t tell you the last time I’ve had a nightmare like that. When I told Alex about the dream, I wondered whether there might be some meaning to it. The events in Charlottesville unfolded that afternoon, and it wasn’t until midnight that night when I couldn’t fall asleep that I realized: my dream. Yikes.
It’s in the wake of that dream that I’ve been processing Charlottesville. The entire week after, I was in an emotional haze, bits of the dream swirling in my mind along with images of people with torches. This isn’t the first event in our country where hate against a people group has been displayed publicly. But in what feels to be an intensifying climate of hate and disrespect, for me it’s the straw that broke the camel’s back. For a few weeks I’ve been without words and with a lot of tears. This isn’t about politics: this is about basic human rights. This is about respecting others no matter their skin color, life choices, and beliefs.
The vague theme on our podcast for this year has been exploring the way food unites us. Recently, we spoke with Tanorria Askew about her unity tables, where women of different races come together to discuss racial issues while eating the same food. We spoke with Daniel Klein about the documentaries he makes about food traditions all around the world, and the positive immigrant stories he’s working on telling. We shared this story about a Middle Eastern boy whose mom shared food with his elementary school to create a sense of understanding and respect for his culture.
In the past few weeks, there has been a lot of noise on the internet about how to respond to the blatant disrespect and hate displayed in Charlottesville. Sometimes, it seems like the message is that there’s a right or wrong way to respond. But I believe that the same way each of us is unique, we all have different and valid ways to condemn hatred and stand up for love and respect. For some, it’s strongly worded statements on social media. For others, it’s crafting a beautiful poem or essay. Some of us may act by writing our senators, others may get together with diverse groups of community members, ask questions, and listen.
The theme from my dream compels me to continue finding small actions. We’re seeking out more guests to pursue conversations about embracing diversity and unity through food on the podcast, and in our personal lives asking questions of and listening to people in our community. We’re attending peace rallies, writing to senators, and contemplating new ways to advocate for change through art. And we’re continuing to look for other ways, small or larger. These issues feel huge and scary, but it’s only when many people respond in their own unique ways that we can find our way toward social change.
If this strikes a chord with you, we’d love to know the ways you are processing too.
On to the recipe; this lentil and rice summer salad has little to do with social change, unless of course you eat it discussing these themes! I created this summer salad out of pure necessity, trying to use up items from our pantry. After boiling some French lentils and short grain brown rice, I decided to throw them together with a leftover red onion and some cherry tomatoes and fresh basil from our garden. For the dressing, pantry ingredients came to the rescue: a bit of smoked paprika, sherry vinegar, and mustard whisked with olive oil to create a quick sauce.
We love summer salads, and haven’t been eating them enough this season! What I love about this summer salad is that it is filling and provides lots of plant-based protein. Many vegetable-based salads can be delicious but low on the filling factor. Combining this salad with a few other summer salads for a summer potluck can make for a filling summer meal; it’s also perfect alongside a vegetarian entree to fill in more protein. We’ve included this recipe in our summer grilling menu. Happy eating, and as always, let us know if you make it and what you think.
Looking for summer salads?
Looking for other summer salads for a grilling menu or summer cookout? Here are a few of our favorite summer salads:
- Dilled Bean Salad
- Green Bean, Potato, and Dill Salad
- Southwestern Black Bean Quinoa
- German Cucumber Salad (Gurkensalat)
- Panzanella with Cherry Tomatoes and Bell Peppers
Did you make this recipe?
If you make this lentil and rice summer salad, we’d love to hear how they turned out. Leave a comment below or share a picture on Instagram and mention @acouplecooks.
This recipe is…
Vegetarian, gluten-free, vegan, plant-based, dairy-free, refined-sugar free.
- 1 cup short grain brown or white rice (or 3 cups cooked)
- 1 cup french lentils
- 1 cup diced cherry tomatoes
- ¼ large red onion
- ½ cup chopped fresh basil
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- Fresh ground black pepper
- 1 tablespoon sherry vinegar
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- ¼ cup olive oil
- Cook the rice according to the package instructions. Cool the rice to room temperature before making the salad: an easy way to do this is to spread it out onto a baking sheet and place in the freezer for a few minutes.
- Meanwhile, boil the French lentils: place 1 cup lentils in a saucepan with 3 cups water. Bring it to a boil, then simmer for 20 minutes until tender.
- Dice the tomatoes. Thinly slice onion. Chop the basil.
- Make the dressing: in a medium bowl, whisk together sherry vinegar, mustard, and smoked paprika. Gradually whisk in the olive oil 1 tablespoon at a time until creamy and emulsified.
- In a large bowl, mix the rice, lentils, tomato, onion, and basil with ¾ teaspoon kosher salt and a few grinds of black pepper. Pour on the dressing and mix to combine. Taste, and add additional salt and pepper as desired.
A Couple Cooks - Recipes for Healthy & Whole Living
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