Lentil-sausage salad with vegetables, feta and cilantro

I haven't experimented with lentils much, other than my Mom's tried-and-true lentil-vegetable soup with cheese curds. A container of them have been staring out at me from my kitchen cupboard, taunting me with their indefinite shelf life. ('We're still here.....') When I finally put my mind to coming up with a hearty lentil salad recipe for dinner one night, I realized what I've been missing. 

This recipe is already a household favourite and could lend itself to endless variations (vegetarians, take note). I think the key is that the lentils, with their floury texture, play a supporting role to bolder flavours coming from juicy chunks of crisp-skinned sausage, tender-crisp vegetables, morsels of feta cheese and fresh cilantro. Bonus: This recipe won't break the bank. It serves 4-6.

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Pick over 3 cups of dried lentils, then place in large saucepan and add enough cold water to just cover. Allow lentils to soak overnight. 

Core and quarter 2 red peppers. Place on a baking sheet along with 6 sausages  (I used a mix of Italian and white wine/shallot). Broil peppers and sausages at 450 for about 20 minutes, turning once. Reduce the cook time if you don't like your sausages extra-crispy. Chop sausage and roasted pepper into bite-sized pieces. I kept the skin on the peppers.

While sausages and peppers are cooking, add 2 cups of chicken or vegetable broth to the lentils, or enough to just cover. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer until lentils are soft. Drain any remaining liquid and set aside. Fill the same pot with water and bring to a boil. Add 2 cobs of corn, husks removed. Cook until water returns to a boil, about 3-4 minutes. Remove corn and cut off kernels.

Finely slice 3 stalks of celery and 3 green onions, and finely dice one jalapeño (see note). Chop 3/4 cup cilantro. In a small mixing bowl, whisk 4T extra-virgin olive oil and 4T lemon or lime juice. 

In a large bowl, combine lentils, sausage, red peppers, celery, green onion, jalapeño and cilantro. Add 1/4 cup feta cheese and vinaigrette. Season to taste.  

Note: I used 4 feta-stuffed jalapeños packed in oil from a jar, but listed them as separate ingredients for the purposes of the recipe. I scooped out the cheese, then finely diced the jalapeño.