Amaranth failure

Pantry Dinner: two ways!

Yet, after eating the maple balsamic lentil from the coop I decided I needed to try a cooked bean/grain salad. So, as it was the end of the week my fridge and pantry were pretty bare but I gave it shot with what I had on hand. I used a half a cup of quinoa and some left over chickpeas. Then carrots, red cabbage, and broccoli were chopped in the food processor. I added about 2 cups worth of homemade sprouts, a half a cup of raisins, and a handful of nuts and seeds.

Now the dressing was the more experimental part. I went with some sesame oil, tahini, hoisen sauce, mustard, S&P. You are probably thinking that this combo would not go well at all.... I beg to differ:) I learned something from Russell James this week about how to combine flavors. You need sweet, acid, sour, and fat or F.A.S.S. So I went with this new knowledge and tried to make a dressing that would be close to the flavors we loved from the store-bought version. I came pretty close:)


Here it is all ready for the dressing! I used the red quinoa..in case you were wondering what those red, circle things were. I also added turmeric but it was a bit strong so I wouldn't recommend it as the flavors in my dressing were just right and so it threw it off just a touch.


All coated and ready to be devoured! Really loved crunch of all the veggies and how they blended with the soft, cooked grains.


I know this was supposed to be a Saturday pantry dinner but I cheated a little bit:) Because we loved this salad so much, we decided to pick up some maple syrup and balsamic vinegar during our shopping trip today to try the salad with the same ingredients they used in the store! Sunday afternoon I cooked up 1 cup of lentils I had on hand. For the veggies this time I added more greens and different types of veggies than Saturday's version. I added some of my favorite green of the week, swiss chard along with carrots, celery, beets, and green pepper.

Again I had to experiment with the dressing. I came up with something that was AWESOME! It was a mixture of olive oil, balsamic vinegar, fresh lemon juice, mustard, S&P, and Italian herbs. We made a huge bowl worth so that Ry could take it to school tomorrow:)


Here is everything ready for some dressing! Sorry the last pict isn't too scrumptious but take a look at the finish product...
This salad needs a close-up!

The hubby loved this salad so much he decided he would help me make it. Yep, I think all this foodie stuff is rubbing off...just a touch...lol! It was really nice having an extra pair of hands in the kitchie:)

I hope you will give this salad a try. I'm sure you and your family will love it!