Meatless Monday: Summertime Red and Brown Salad

This is a very nice salad to take for lunches, a side salad for a picnic, Meatless Mondays with a green salad and some delicious homemade bread, or with a steak or chicken. It is one that you can make easily over a couple of days. Plan it and it will come! It doesn’t have to have dairy until you mix some feta into it….so, you control when, or not. I really like the blending of flavors: savory/sweet/salty, etc…really good! The recipe started out at Kitchen Parade. Well, you know, I did something to it!

Summertime Red Quinoa and Brown Lentil Salad

Dressing:
2 T white balsamic vinegar
2 T olive oil (EVOO)
1 T Dijon mustard
1/2 tsp fine sea salt
1/2 tsp freshly cracked black pepper

Whisk together until thickened and let sit 30 minutes, taste and adjust to your liking.

Salad:
2 C cooked brown lentils*
2C cooked red quinoa*
4 scallions sliced in rings
5-7 fairly small sun dried tomato halves drained** and chopped
4-6 dried apricot halves, chopped
1/2 peeled and chopped English cucumber
5-7 green olives pitted with pimento centers, drained and chopped
1/2 tsp dried summer savory
1-3 tsp fresh mint sliced

Extra Goodie:
1/2 – 1 C feta cheese crumbled

Toss salad ingredients together and add dressing and toss again. Let sit and adjust flavorings. When you are ready to serve toss the feta into the mix.

*Cook each in a pot of just water, boil then simmer until done, about 30 minutes. I actually steam the quinoa in a stacked steamer.
**you could add back the tomato oil to the salad…another layer of flavor!

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