MidEast Midwest Salad

Quinoa-Lentil Salad

(inspired by a salad in the “My New Roots” blog from Sarah Britton, Copenhagen, Denmark)

• 1 C. red quinoa
• 2 C. Du Puy lentils (aka French lentils)
• 1 large red onion, diced
• 2 large carrots, diced 1 C. dried currants
• ½ C. chopped walnuts

Vinaigrette:

• 2/3 C. extra-virgin olive oil
• ½ C. apple cider vinegar
• 2 Tbsp. maple syrup
• 2 Tbsp. spicy brown mustard
• 1 Tbsp. salt
• 1 Tbsp. pepper
• 2 tsp. ground cumin
• 1 tsp. turmeric
• 1 tsp. ground coriander
• 1 tsp ground cardamom
• ½ tsp. cayenne
• ½ tsp. ground cloves
• ½ tsp. freshly grated nutmeg
• ½ tsp. cinnamon
• 2 C. arugula 6 oz. chèvre ½ C. finely chopped basil

1. Rinse quinoa three times, and drain. Put in saucepan large enough to cover with two inches of water, add 1 tsp. salt, bring to boil, reduce to simmer and cook until grains begin to split. Drain and place in large serving bowl, along with the onion, carrots, currants and walnuts.

2. At the same time, cook the lentils. Rinse well and drain. Put in saucepan large enough to cover with four inches of water, bring to a boil, reduce to simmer. Check lentils after 15 minutes, although they make take a bit longer to cook. While the lentils should not be hard, they should also not be mushy. Drain and add to serving bowl.

3. While the quinoa and lentils are simmering, make the vinaigrette by putting the ingredients in a jar with a tight fitting lid, and shake to combine.

4. Mix the contents of the bowl with half of the vinaigrette. At this point, you can cover the bowl, and put the lid back on the jar of vinaigrette, and leave both in the refrigerator up to two days before you serve it. Bring both to room temperature before continuing (you will need to shake the jar again to recombine the vinaigrette).

5. Add arugula, chèvre, basil and the rest of the dressing to the bowl. Mix well. You may want to serve some pita bread with this, to soak up any extra dressing!