1 pound lentils, cooked and chilled

1 C quinoa, cooked and chilled

4 stalks celery, finely diced

4 carrots, finely diced

3 baby cucumbers, finely diced

1 C cherub tomatoes, halved

1 C toasted walnut pieces

1/3 C chopped parsley

1 C crumbled feta cheese

Combine all ingredients and dress with sherry vinaigrette. Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper if needed. Serve salad over leaf lettuce.

Healthy, crunchy, flavorful.

For the lentils:

Rinse lentils and place in a stock pot and cover with water by an inch. Add 1 T salt, 1 T dried thyme, 8-10 bay leaves, 8 peppercorns. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to a slow bubble. Cook just until lentils are tender. It doesn’t take long. You can have mush if you go too long. Drain off liquid and spread cooked lentils out on a cookie sheet. Place in the refrigerator for chilling.

For the quinoa:

Place 2 C of water and 1 C of quinoa in a sauce pan. Add 1 t salt, 3-4 bay leaves, and 1 t dried thyme. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, cover and cook until the grain is translucent and water is mostly absorbed. Drain off any excess water. Spread cooked quinoa onto a cookie sheet and chill in the refrigerator.

For toasted walnuts:

Place walnuts on a cookie sheet and place into a 350 degree preheated oven. Cook for 10 minutes. The fragrant aroma lets you know when it’s time to come out! These can store for several days.