Tasty Tuesday - Lentil Quinoa Salad

I saw this recipe in a magazine and it intrigued me...mostly because I've had a bag of lentils sitting in my cabinet for months without cooking them!  This meal is a great side, but with the lentils, quinoa, and pine nuts, it could also make a great vegan main dish!  I actually didn't love it at first, but after a few bites I was sold!  Yum!

The original recipe is what I'm posting.  I made it without putting it on a bed of arugula, only a few tablespoons of chopped mint, and I used balsamic vinegar instead of red wine.

Lentil-Quinoa Salad with Fresh Ginger

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INGREDIENTS

1 quart		water
3/4 cup		dried green lentils, rinsed
1/2 cup		dried quinoa
2 ounces		fresh asparagus tips cut into 1-inch pieces
1/2 cup		Pompeian Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1/4 cup		Pompeian Pomegranate Red Wine Vinegar
2 Tbsp.		grated ginger
1 1/4 tsp.		salt
1/2 tsp.		coarsely ground black pepper
1/4 tsp.		dried pepper flakes
1 cup		chopped fresh mint leaves
2 ounces		pine nuts, toasted
6 cups		mix arugula and radicchio leaves

Preparation

1. Bring the water to a boil over high heat in a medium saucepan. Add the lentils, reduce heat, cover and simmer 17 minutes. Add the quinoa, cover and cook 7 minutes. Add asparagus and cook 2 minutes or until asparagus is just tender crisp. Drain and run under cold water to completely cool. Shake off excess water.

2. Meanwhile, combine the oil, vinegar, ginger, salt, black pepper, and pepper flakes in a medium bowl and set aside.

3. Add the cooled lentil mixture, mint, and pine nuts to the oil mixture and toss gently, until well coated.

4. Serve over arugula and radicchio mix.

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