Marinated Lentil Salad Recipe

A few weeks ago there was a recipe in the newspaper for a lentil salad that I thought sounded tasty.  I made a few modifications to suit our family's needs, and it turned out delicious!

Ingredients:
2 cups dried lentils
4-6 cups chicken or vegetable broth
2 small onions, chopped
2 celery ribs, diced
2 medium carrots, diced
5 tbsp olive oil, divided
1 green bell pepper, chopped
1 tsp basil
2 tbsp chives, chopped
4 tbsp balsamic vinegar
4 tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
4 ounces feta cheese
1 cucumber, diced.

Bring lentils and 4 cups broth to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer 25 minutes.  Keep an eye on them - if they simmer dry add extra broth.  Drain and set aside.

Saute onion, celery, and carrot in 1 tbsp oil over medium heat until almost tender.  Add bell pepper and saute until all veggies are slightly tender.

Stir in lentils.  Cool.  Stir in remaining ingredients.  Serve immediately or chill to serve.

Goat cheese would also be excellent in this instead of the feta.  We ate it as a main dish, but you could also have it as a side dish if you wanted.  Readers, do you like lentils?  I know some people don't care for them much, but I've found them to be very good with the right seasonings.