Hello everyone! It’s me, Andres, filling in for Einat on writing duty as she is out of commission with a rough cold. This week we come bearing this delicious quinoa lentil salad recipe that Einat created. Usually, we develop recipes based on my cooking, yet this time Einat took the reins.
I know that if you skip to the recipe card at the bottom of the page it might seem scary, but it’s rather straight forward and it’s perfect for meal prepping. This salad has a pleasant full and rich bite with an umami savory tone that’s balanced by the sourness of the green apple.
So, without further ado let’s get cooking! If you didn’t do the ‘beforehand trick’ like in the cooking shows, it’s time to get going on the sweet potatoes, black lentils and quinoa. Just peel and dice the sweet potatoes, season and roast in the oven. Cook the quinoa and black lentils over the stove in separate pots following the recipe instructions.
While those cook, prepare the dressing and set it aside. Now you can chop the arugula, onion and green apple. When everything is done mix the recommended amounts of each ingredient. Make sure to add the dressing right before serving and mix well.
P.S.
If you’re into tahini, Einat recommends serving it with either raw tahini or tahini sauce. I think avocado would be great in this salad, but only if you make the dressing with a neutral oil, like grapeseed oil, instead of olive oil.
Quinoa Lentil Salad
Ingredients
Roasted Sweet Potato
- 2 small sweet potatoes
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp date syrup
- ½ tsp salt
- pinch black pepper
Black Lentils
- ½ cup black lentils (washed & strained)
- boiling water
Quinoa
- ⅔ cup quinoa (washed & strained)
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- ½ tsp salt
- boiling water
Other Toppings
- ¼ big red onion
- ½ cup crushed roasted cashews
- ¼ cup dried cranberries
- ½ green apple
- 1 bunch arugula
Dressing
- 4 tbsp olive oil
- 3 tbsp lemon juice
- 1½ tsp date syrup (with no added sugar)
- ½ tsp Dijon mustard
- 1 tsp salt
- black pepper to taste
Instructions
Roasted Sweet Potatoes
- Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F with the fan on.
- Peel and dice your sweet potatoes.
- Place into a bowl and season with olive oil, date syrup, salt and black pepper.
- Mix well and transfer to a lined baking sheet, making sure to spread them evenly.
- Roast in the oven for 35 minutes, or until golden brown. Make sure to mix the sweet potatoes once halfway. Let them cool down a bit before assembling the salad.
Black Lentils
- Place your washed black lentils into a pot with boiling water (enough to cover and them some) on medium-low heat.
- Cook for about 20 minutes uncovered just until soft. Make sure to glance once in a while to see if there's enough water.
- When they're done, turn off the heat, strain and wash with cold water. Set aside.
Quinoa
- Add olive oil and the washed quinoa into a small pot, then season with salt.
- Set on medium-low heat and fry the quinoa for about 3 minutes (just like rice).
- Add boiling water. Quinoa absorbs a lot of water so make sure there's enough.
- Cook uncovered for about 17-18 minutes just until soft.
- When it's done, strain and wash with cold water. Set aside.
Dressing
- Add all the dressing ingredients into a jar and shake well.
Assembling the Salad
- Chop your arugula and red onion. Add them to a big salad bowl.
- Dice your green apple and add them as well.
- Add 2 cups of the cooked quinoa, 1 cup of the black lentils, 1 cup of the roasted sweet potatoes, crushed roasted cashews and the dried cranberries.
- Add the dressing just before serving and mix well.
Notes
- To roast cashews - spread them on a lined baking sheet and roast in the oven on 180°C/350°F for 8 minutes.
- Notice that you can make the sweet potatoes, black lentils and quinoa a day in advance.
- You're going to have leftovers from the quinoa, black lentils and sweet potatoes, use them as you please. We usually have them as side dishes.
- We want to try the dressing with 3 tbsp of olive oil instead of 4. We'll update after we try.
- If you're into tahini, Einat recommends serving it with either raw tahini or tahini sauce. I think avocado would be great in this salad, but only if you make the dressing with a neutral oil, like grapeseed oil, instead of olive oil.
