Warm quinoa and lentil salad (GF, V)

Superfood salad

This salad is based on Jamie’s Italian MARKET SUPERFOOD SALAD: Avocado, shaved fennel, candied beets, pulses, Italian sprouting broccoli, creamy cottage cheese, pomegranate, smashed nuts & seeds. Served with a fennel blossom Sicilian harissa.

For my version you will need:
1/2 cup quinoa
1/3 cup green Le Puy lentils
1 fennel
1 golden beetroot
2 celery sticks
a handful sprouting broccoli
1 avocado
a handful young spinach leaves
2 tbsp pine nuts
2 tbsp sunflower seeds
2 tbsp almond flakes
1 tbsp sesame seeds
juice of a lemon, strained
2 tbsp olive oil
freshly ground black pepper
pomegranate (optional)
cottage cheese (optional)

1. Cook the green lentils in plenty of water with a halved garlic clove and a bay leaf. These little lentils do not require soaking but if you soak them for a few hours it won't hurt. Let the lentils cool down a bit still in their cooking liquid.
2. Cook the quinoa in 1 cup filtered water for 8 to 10 mins with the lid on, then let it rest for 5 more mins.
3. Drop the sprouting broccoli into boiling water and gently cook for 3 to 4 mins. Take them out and set aside.
4. Lightly toast pine nuts, sunflower seeds, flaked almonds and sesame seeds together.

5. Shave fennel and golden beetroot. Slice celery sticks. Put them in a mixing bowl.
6. Add well drained lentils and fluffed up quinoa. Mix.
7. Add toasted nuts and seeds. Mix.
8. Gently fold in spinach leaves.
9. Mix lemon juice and olive oil together. Drizzle over salad.
You can stop here and enjoy the salad OR

Serve like this:
Put sprouting broccoli on top. Add grilled warm avocado quarter with a generous dollop of cool cottage cheese sprinkled with freshly ground black pepper. Enjoy!

Allergy: Nut, Dairy. No Gluten. Omit the cottage cheese and the salad is Vegan.

More salad ideas:
Warm lentil and quinoa with roasted fennel and sweet potatoes
Baby spinach salad with pomegranate and toasted pine nuts
Green chickpea salad with baby spinach and mustard dressing