Quinoa, Bean + Lentil Salad
Are you in the habit of brown-bagging (or rather, eco-friendly-, reusable-, insulated-bagging) your lunch yet? Bringing your own homemade lunches to work is a fantastic way to stay healthy and save money, and if you bring leftovers from dinner, it doesn’t have to take more than a few minutes of your time each night.
Of course, it’s not always fun to eat the same thing you had for last night’s dinner day after day. That’s where re-purposing comes in, and where this particular salad really shines.
There’s something exceptionally satisfying about transforming a bunch of random leftovers in your fridge into a complete and delicious meal. By tossing together some leftover quinoa, beans, veggies and seasonings, you’ll have a delicious one-dish meal ready to go in no time. Feel free to change up the ingredients here based on what you’ve got in your fridge — swap the quinoa for brown rice, the black beans and green lentils for whatever legumes you have on hand, and toss in extra veggies. Make it your own!
Quinoa, Bean + Lentil Salad
2 cups fresh green beans, steamed lightly and sliced into 1-inch pieces
1 BPA-free can black beans, drained and rinsed (or 2 cups leftover cooked black beans)
1 BPA-free can green lentils, drained and rinsed (or 2 cups leftover cooked green lentils)
2 cups leftover cooked quinoa
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tomatoes, chopped and de-seeded
1 tbsp dried oregano
1 tbsp dried parsley
3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
3 tbsp lemon juice
Sea salt and black pepper to taste
Mix all ingredients together in a large bowl. This salad tastes even better the next day.
