Lentil Quinoa Salad

I am always on the search for another good quinoa recipe. The other day while watching the foodnetwork I saw Melissa D' Arabian (last years winner of The Next Food Network Star) use it in a recipe I was anxious to try it and I am happy I did it is totally different than how I had been using it. If you have not watched her show $10 dinners you should it is good and she gives great budget conscious tips.

Ingredients

1/2 cup quinoa
1 1/4 cups water, plus 2 cups
1/2 cup lentils
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1 lime, zested
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 green onions, chopped
1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro leaves

Directions

Put the quinoa in a sieve and rinse in
cold water. In a large microwave-proof bowl with a cover, add the rinsed quinoa and 1 1/4 cups water. Cover
and microwave on high for 9 minutes. Let it sit for 2 minutes then stir. Quinoa should be tender enough to
eat, but with a little "pop" upon biting.
Put the lentils in a sieve and rinse in cold water. In a saucepan, simmer the lentils in 2 cups water until
the lentils are tender, but not mushy, about 30 minutes. Drain and cool.

In a small bowl, whisk the mustard and vinegar together, and drizzle in the oil to make an emulsion. Add the
garlic powder, lime zest, and salt, and pepper, to taste.

To assemble the salad: In a medium salad bowl, mix the quinoa, lentils, green onions, and chopped cilantro.
Top the salad with the dressing, toss to coat and serve.
I loved it the next day.
pic

Chicken Poppy Seed Salad

I found this recipe on the sisters cafe site
I had to share it is so good, the best salad I have had in a long time.
Chicken Poppy Seed Salad

Spinach leaves

Romaine leaves

Grilled chicken, sliced (grill with lots of lemon pepper seasoning)

Red onion, sliced thinly

Crispy bacon, crumbled

Shredded mozzarella cheese

Toasted almonds (or you can sugar the almonds. Put sliced almonds in a pan with lots of granulated sugar (about equal amounts). Cook on medium heat until sugar melts, coating the almonds as they brown.)

The best part... The Dressing:

1 1/3 cup sugar

2 tsp salt

2 tsp dry mustard

2/3 cup red wine vinegar

3 Tb Maui or Vidalia onion, chopped

2 cups canola oil

3 Tb poppy seeds

Mix the first 5 ingredients in a blender, then slowly add the oil, blending until thick. Stir in poppy seeds. Toss all ingredients together with generous amount of dressing before serving.

*This makes a lot of dressing! If you need a really big salad for a party then start with a large bunch of spinach, large head of romaine, 4 chicken breasts, 1 lb bacon, etc. I rarely make a salad that big so that is why there are no "amounts". So have fun with it - you're going to love it!


note from Nicole: Since I have to change everything to make it a little more my own, I added craisins to it. I really liked the sweetness and texture. I also cut out some sugar in the dressing, it was a little much. I also did not candy my nuts, I figured it was sweet enough and that was just an extra step.

spinach pasta salad

I got this from Allie and it is so good. I have used all different kinds of pasta with it. anything will work. great the next day for lunch too.

Salad:
1 lb. Pasta, cooked al dente, drain, rinse in cold water
3 C cooked chopped chicken
5 C fresh spinach, shredded
1 C black olives, chopped in 1/4’s
4 oz. Feta cheese, crumbled
3 cups diced tomatoes (grape tomatoes, YUM!)
3/4 C Monterrey jack cheese, shredded
1/2 cup chopped green onion

Dressing:
2 tsp Dijon mustard
1/2 C olive oil
1/2 C vinegar ( I use balsamic)
1/2 tsp black pepper
2 tsp honey
1 clove garlic, minced

Blend dressing ingredients. Pour over mixed salad. Refrigerate 30-60 minutes before serving.