This lovely recipe is a little different and is from the BBC Good Food website. Try playing with it a bit, by adding chopped Kalamata olives or fresh corn or capers or…
7oz (200g) quinoa
1 tsp olive oil
1 shallot or ½ onion, finely chopped
2 tbsp fresh tarragon, roughly chopped
14oz (400g) can Puy or green lentils rinsed and drained or a 14oz vacuum-package of lentils
¼ cucumber, lightly peeled and diced
4oz(100g) feta cheese, crumbled
6 scallions, thinly sliced
zest and juice 1 orange
1 tbsp red or white wine vinegar
Cook the quinoa in a large pan of boiling water for 10-15 mins until tender, drain well, then set aside to cool.
Meanwhile, heat the oil in a small pan, then cook the shallot or onion for a few mins until softened. Add the tarragon, stir well, then remove from the heat.
Stir the softened shallot and tarragon into the cooled quinoa along with the lentils, cucumber, feta, spring onions, orange zest and juice and vinegar. Toss well together and chill until ready to serve.
Dear Belinda,
Your Quinoa, lentil and feta salad turned into a Quinoa, lentil, mango, manchego, sunflower seed, tomato and cucumber salad and it’s delicious!
I didn’t have the opportunity to get all of the ingredients because of Covid, but your hint to “play with it a bit” gave me the courage to throw what I had in there!
I had lentils and quinoa, plus oranges, tarragon and cucumbers growing in the garden, and of course oil and vinegar, so I decided to forge ahead with what I had.
I used the orange zest/orange juice/vinegar/oil/sautéed shallot and tarragon as the base dressing.
I had lentils and quinoa for the substance.
Then I added cucumber, which luckily I had, and the rest is what I had in the cupboard and the ‘fridge: tomatoes, sunflower seeds, manchego cheese, and mangos. I also squeezed a lemon in there after I added the mangos because I was thinking it needed the tart balance.
I was disappointed that I didn’t have any feta. Manchego was the best I could do with what I had, and it has worked out just fine.
I hesitated before throwing the two mangos in there, but they were about to be past their prime and I just went for it. And I’m happy that I did!
Thanks for encouraging me to experiment.
It’s a really delicious salad, and I will use the base of orange zest/juice, sautéed shallots and tarragon again!