A New Year's lentil salad

Ingredients

• Thai dressing (makes enough for double salad recipe)
• 3 ounces grapeseed oil
  
• 1 ounce rice vinegar
  
• 3 ounces fresh squeezed lime juice
  
• 2 ounces fish sauce, nuoc mam recommended (or, if you must, soy sauce as substitute)
  
• 2 garlic cloves, finely minced
  
• 2 chile peppers, finely minced
  
• 2 tablespoons grated and peeled fresh ginger
  
• 1.5 ounces palm sugar or light brown sugar
  
• pinch of kosher salt
  
• pinch of black pepper
  

• The salad
• 1 cup cooked lentils (French green- du Puy or common brown)
  
• 1 cup cooked brown rice
  
• 1 cup finely chopped cabbage (can mix savoy and red)
  
• 1 small cucumber, peeled and finely cut into matchsticks
  
• ¹/₃ cup fresh mint, chopped
  
• ¹/₃ cup basil, thai if available, chopped
  
• ¹/₃ cup chopped scallions
  
• 1 orange, blood red if available, skinned, chopped and pitted
  
• 1 ounce fresh yellow pepper preferably, diced
  
• 1 ounce fresh grated carrots, optional
  
• 2 tablespoons peeled and grated fresh ginger
  
• 1 avocado, peeled and diced
  
• mint sprigs for garnish
  
• lime wedges for garnish