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

sweet potato fries.

I generally do not ever like sweet potatoes, not my thing. I have heard people rave about them made as fries though and thought I would give it a shot. They were actually pretty good. I love the olive oil and kosher salt they made this dish. They had more flavor than regular fries. I did not deep fry these, it might be good that way too, but this is the much healthier option.

{sweet potato fries}

fresh sweet potatoes, peeled & cut into 1/2 inch fries
kosher or flake salt
fresh pepper
other dried herbs~thyme, rosemary, oregano, ect.
Olive oil

Pre-heat oven to 475 degrees. Place peeled & cut potatoes in to a medium bowl. Toss with olive oil, I use 2 TBSP per 1 large potato. Spread onto a baking sheet, keeping in a single layer. Sprinkle with a healthy dose of seasoning. Bake for 10-12 minutes, remove from oven & toss. Return to oven & continue to bake another 10 or so minutes. Watching carefully so as not to burn.

green beans

This is the green bean recipe I always make I adapted it from a recipe from allrecipes.com a few years back.



Green beans with bread crumbs
INGREDIENTS

* 2 pounds fresh green beans, washed and trimmed
1 onion chopped
* 1 cup water
* 1/2 cup Italian-style seasoned bread crumbs
* 1/2 cup olive oil
* salt and pepper to taste
* 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
* 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
* 1/2 teaspoon dried basil
* 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

DIRECTIONS

1. Combine onions and a little oil in pan and saute until soft. add green beans and 1/2 cup water in a medium pot. Cover, and bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium, and let beans cook for 10 minutes, or until tender. Drain well.
2. Place beans in a medium serving bowl, and mix in bread crumbs, olive oil, salt, pepper, garlic powder, oregano and basil. Toss mixture until the beans are coated. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese, and serve.