Monday, February 13, 2012

Lentil Salad with Quinoa and Maple Balsalmic Vinaigrette





Quinoa. Lentils. Two foods that are extremely healthy and good for us. Why didn't I think to put them together before?

This recipe sounded a bit odd at first glance- maple syrup in the list of ingredients definitely threw me. But, I wanted to try it out. So glad I did, because it's fantastic! I love that the vegetables aren't cooked, so you get a nice crunch in the salad, and it combines nicely with the warm lentils and quinoa. The vinaigrette was wonderful as well. The maple syrup was needed to offset the acidity in the balsalmic vinegar. Best of all, this comes together quickly and is a filling dinner. Make it!

Ingredients:

1 cup lentils
1 cup quinoa
1 bay leaf
1 teaspoon salt
1 carrot, peeled and grated
1 red pepper, diced
1 bunch scallions, chopped
1 cup walnuts, toasted and chopped
1/2 cup dried cranberries
4 tablespoons balsalmic vinegar
6 garlic cloves, minced
juice of 1 lemon
3 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper

1.) Put the lentils, quinoa, and bay leaf in a pot with 2 1/2 cups of water. Bring it to a boil, then cover and simmer for 15-20 minutes. Drain, and add salt.

2.) Combine carrot, red pepper, scallions, cranberries, and walnuts.

3.) Combine balsalmic vinegar, garlic, lemon juice, maple syrup, olive oil, and salt and pepper.

4.) Mix everything together!

from: cooking quinoa.net

1 comment:

  1. Hi...So happy you are posting again!! I haven't really tried lentils in a while, so maybe this would be a place to start??

    ReplyDelete