Quinoa & Edamame
Mediterranean Lentil
Black Rice & Chickpea Salad
This past summer we traveled around the western United States in our motor home. I had been to Colorado over 30 years ago and to California in recent years, but in both cases I flew by plane. I really had no idea how breathtaking the terrain of North & South Dakota, Wyoming, and especially Montana is. We tried to hit every major tourist spot in our path and visited the iconic national parks of Theodore Roosevelt, Glacier, and Yellowstone. (For commentary & pics visit Yates RV Adventures) Roy and I would get up in the morning, pack a lunch, jump in the little red jeep we tow, and head out for a day of discovery. After a while, I found myself getting pretty tired of sandwiches. The processed meat we were buying from Walmart and the bread surrounding it probably wasn't too healthy and I felt myself getting a bit more fluffy than I felt comfortable with! A chit chat with my friend Kathy back home gave me the idea of packing a power salad to put in the cooler instead of a sandwich. She was asking about a good dressing to put on quinoa and the three favorites I gave her are in this post. It actually wasn't hard to take one of these power bowls with us while we saw the sights; I just quickly cooked some kind of grain while we were eating breakfast and assembled the salad in the time it took to make a sandwich. As you can see, the variations are endless - the recipe for the ones I've most enjoyed are below.
Start with a grains or legume.
Clock wise from the bottom - black rice, red lentils, black lentils, brown lentils and quinoa.
Perhaps add a canned legume.
Clockwise from the bottom- chick peas, black beans, and cannellini beans
Quinoa and Edamame Salad - Serves Four
Ingredients:
1 cup quinoa
1 cup frozen, shelled edamame
1 large tomato, chopped
1/2 cucumber, quartered and sliced
2 cups mixed greens such as spinach and arugula, washed and drained
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
1/4 cup olive oil
Scant 1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
Directions:
Rinse and drain in a fine mesh strainer quinoa it is not already pre-washed. Place in pan and cover with 2/3 more water than the level it reaches in the pan. Bring to a boil, cover, and lower heat to let it gently simmer for 20 minutes. It is done when "tail" is visible and it is soft to the bite.All the water should be absorbed but if not, leave it behind when removing from the pan.
Place into bowl and add all the remaining ingredients except the greens and gently toss.
To serve, divide greens among four salad bowls. Evenly spoon quinoa mixture on top of each portion.
Mediterranean Lentil Salad - Serves Four
Ingredients:
1 cup lentils
1/2 medium yellow onion, diced
1 cup diced bell pepper: any combination of green, red, yellow
1/4 cup sliced green onions
1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
2 cups spinach leaves, washed and drained
1/2 cup olive oil
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
Directions:
Using a strainer wash and drain lentils. Pick out anything that doesn't look like a lentil. Place in pan and cover with 2/3 more water than the level it reaches in the pan. Bring to a boil, cover, and lower heat to let it gently simmer for 20 minutes. They are done when soft to bite, but not mushy.
Leaving any extra liquid behind, place in a bowl along with bell pepper and green onions. Set aside. Whisk together oil, vinegar, salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Pour enough of the resulting dressing over the lentil mixture to coat it well. Divide the spinach leaves between four serving bowls. Spoon the lentils evenly over the spinach and top each serving with two tablespoons of crumbled feta.
Black Rice and Chickpea Salad - Serves Four
Ingredients:
1 cup black rice
1 (16 oz.) can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
1 ripe avocado, skin removed and chopped
2 cups cherry tomatoes, sliced in half if large
1/2 large cucumber, sliced and quartered
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
Directions:
Place rice in pan and cover with 2/3 more water than the level it reaches in the pan. Bring to a boil, cover, and lower heat to let it gently simmer for 20 minutes. It is done when soft to bite, but not mushy. Leaving any extra water behind, place rice into bowl and add all the remaining ingredients except the greens and gently toss.
To serve, divide greens among four salad bowls. Evenly spoon rice mixture on top of each portion.
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