Salt to taste
2 cups fresh green beans
¼ cup olive oil
⅓ cup black lentils, cooked according to the package instructions, drained
2 tablespoons lemon dressing (recipe follows)
1 red bell pepper, roasted and marinated (recipe follows)
1 basket cherry tomatoes, halved (2 cups)
¼ cup chopped fresh dill or other fresh herb of choice, for garnish
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil, add the green beans, and blanch them for about 2 minutes. Remove them from the water and let them cool on a sheet pan. (Unless you are cooking large quantities of green beans, there is no need to drop them into ice water. The beans actually taste better when they are allowed to air-dry, rather than absorb more water by cooling in ice.) In a large bowl, lightly toss the beans with the olive oil and salt.
Season the cooked lentils with the lemon dressing and salt to taste, and add the chile pepper if using. Combine the lentils, roasted and marinated red bell pepper, and cherry tomatoes with the green beans. Garnish with the dill or other herbs of choice.
Serve at room temperature.
NOTE Both the lentils (cooked and tossed in lemon dressing and salt) and the roasted and marinated red bell pepper can be made several days in advance.