Lentil Salad

Lentils are a wonderful food. The french serve as an elegant simple side with an entre.  As a vegetarian in my youth I used to enjoy a good lentil soup and let it cook down to be thick and stewey, but today I am enjoying the fresh lentil salad to celebrate spring. Lentils cook very quickly (depending on which ones you use, petite, sturdy?), 15 to 20 minutes, so you don't want to walk away from them and forget to check because although they make a tasty mush, it isn't pretty and OK for soup but not the lovely salad.

• Lentils
• bell pepper, whatever color you like
• 3 stalks celery
• parsley
• green onion
• squeeze of fresh lemon
• white balsamic vinegar
• olive oil