Ingredients

  • Dressing
  • 1/2 cup Orange Muscat vinegar or 1/4 c champagne vinegar & 1/4 C oj
  • 3/4 teaspoon Ground Ginger
  • 3/4 teaspoon Chipotle powder or smoked paprika if you don't like heat
  • 1/2 teaspoon Salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon Pepper
  • 1/3 cup Extra virgin olive oil
  • Salad
  • 1 cup Quinoa, any color, rinsed well
  • 1/2 cup Red lentils, picked over & rinsed
  • 1 cup Low sodium veggie stock
  • 4 ounces Baby spinach
  • 1 cup Diced zucchini, 1 small
  • 1 1/2 cups Roasted corn kernels
  • 1 1/2 cups Diced tomato or halved cherry tomatoes
  • 3/4 cup Diced sweet onion
  • 2 tablespoons Basil, sliced thin (chiffonade)
  • 2 tablespoons Flat leaf parsley chopped
  • Basil for garnish

Method

  • Make the dressing - combine the vinegar, spices, salt and pepper. Slowly whisk in the olive oil. This makes a wonderful marinade for salmon too.
  • Toast the quinoa in a heavy bottomed pan until it starts to pop and smell nutty. Carefully add the veggie stock and 21/4 C water to the pan. Bring to a simmer, add the lentils and cook for 15 min or until you see the tails come out of the quinoa. Drain remaining liquid, if any. Add the spinach to the hot quinoa mixture and stir to wilt it. Add the onion, zucchini, corn, tomato. Stir to combine. Drizzle in enough dressing to moisten well. Let cool. Mix in the parsley & basil chiffonade. Adjust seasonings to taste remembering that if it will be served cold a little more seasoning will be necessary. Garnish with the basil. Delicious at any temperature.