Lentil Salad with Roasted Red Peppers, Feta and Mint

Place lentils in a medium sized saucepan, cover with water and set aside to soak for 30 minutes.

Drain the lentils and return them to the saucepan. Add the onion, garlic, thyme and bay leaf and cover by two inches with cold water and place over high heat.

Bring the lentils to a boil, lower the heat to a simmer and cook until the lentils are tender, but not mushy, about 30 minutes.

While the lentils are cooking, char the red bell peppers. Place the red bell peppers, one at a time, over the open flame of a gas burner, using tongs to carefully grasp stems and turn peppers to get an even char, about three to four minutes per pepper.

Transfer charred peppers to a resealable plastic bag and let cool slightly.

When peppers are cool enough to touch, remove from bag and transfer to a cutting board.

Using fingers, rub off charred skin of peppers, discard skin. Also remove stems and discard. Chop remaining flesh, set aside.

When the lentils are done cooking, remove from heat. Discard the onion, garlic, thyme and bay leaf and drain the lentils. Place the drained lentils in a large mixing bowl.

In a small mixing bowl, whisk together the olive oil, lemon juice, cumin and salt to form a dressing.

Pour the dressing over the lentils and toss to combine.

Add the chopped red bell peppers, red onions, mint and feta to the lentils, toss to combine.

Season the lentil salad with additional salt and freshly ground pepper, if desired. Serve warm or refrigerate until ready to serve. Lentil salad can be served warm or cold.