Crispy Meat-Free Bacon, Lentil & Smashed Avocado Salad

Before you begin...

Get all your ingredients and equipment ready

Skim through these steps, then wash your fruit and veg

Note: Equipment and pan sizes vary. Make sure you cook food thoroughly (even if it takes you a little longer than 10 min)

Now, let's get started!

Heat a large, wide-based pan (preferably non-stick) over a medium-high heat with a drizzle of vegetable oil

Once hot, add your meat-free bacon lardons to the pan and cook for 2-3 min on each side or until golden and crisp

Once the meat-free bacon is crisp, add it to a plate lined with kitchen paper and set aside, reserving the pan

Meanwhile, drain and rinse your green lentils

Return the reserved pan to a medium-high heat with any remaining oil and add the drained lentils along with half of your chilli relish (you'll use the rest later!) and a pinch of salt and pepper

Mix it all together and cook for 1-2 min or until warmed through – these are your seasoned lentils

Whilst the lentils are cooking, add the remaining chilli relish to a small bowl with your cider vinegar and 1 tbsp [1 1/2 tbsp] [2 tbsp] olive oil and give it a good mix up – this is your chilli relish dressing

Transfer the crispy meat-free bacon lardons to a clean board and chop roughly

Wash your salad, then pat dry with kitchen paper

Add the seasoned lentils to a bowl with the salad and half of the crispy meat-free bacon lardons (save the rest for garnish!) and give everything a good mix up – this is your crispy meat-free bacon & lentil salad