Quinoa Pilaf and Pilaf and Lentil Salad

Total time: 25 minutes
The thing I like best about Pilafs (other than the taste) is they are equally good hot, warm or cold, making them perfect for summer cooking, when we all want to be a bit more relaxed.

Quinoa Pilaf Ingredients:

3/4 cup quinoa, 150gr, 5.3oz
1 1/2 cup chicken stock, 340gr, 12oz
2 carrots, 180gr, 6.4oz
1 rib celery, 50gr, 1.8oz
2 shallots, 45gr, 1.6oz
2 tsp olive oil, 9gr, .3oz
6 - 8 cherry tomatoes, 45gr, 1.6oz. for garnish

Instructions:

Put quinoa and stock in a small saucepan, cover and bring to a boil.
Reduce heat and simmer until done, about 15 minutes (or whatever your package says).
Chop celery, carrots and shallots.
Heat oil in a small skillet and sauté shallots, celery and carrots for 5 minutes.
Cut cherry tomatoes in half.
When quinoa is done, stir in sautéed vegetables. Spoon into a bowl and serve, garnished with tomatoes. Refrigerate half of the Pilaf (or whatever is left but without tomatoes) for the Salad.

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               Nutrition Information

Recipe serves 2
          Entire Recipe / per serving
Calories:  367 / 183.5
Total Carbohydrates:  68 / 34
          Dietary Fiber: 11 / 5.5
Total Fat: 9 / 4.5
         Saturated Fat: 1 / .5
Cholesterol: 6 / 3
Protein: 13 / 6.5
Calcium: 61 / 30.5
Sodium: 354 / 177

General Technical Details and Disclaimer:

Note: The Nutrition Information is for half of the recipe.

Measurements are actual measurements used for calculation. If there are no values the nutritional numbers were simply too small.

I try to be accurate, but I do not guarantee it. I use 'grams' as the unit of weight; with an approximate conversion to ounces.

My information comes from my own digital, computerized scale
and the USDA Nutrient Data Library: http://ndb.nal.usda.gov/

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Quinoa and Lentil Salad

Total time: 5 minutes
I always try to cook rice, grains, beans etc. ahead in the summer so it's a quick dinner to mix them together and add a bit of vinaigrette for a healthy salad to go with something from the grill.

Quinoa Pilaf and Lentil Salad Ingredients:

1 - 1 1/2 cups leftover quinoa pilaf
OR 1/2 cup quinoa cooked in 1 1/2 cup chicken stock (or the amount of liquid your package recommends)
3/4 cup cooked lentils
OR 1/4 cup small green lentils (Lentille Verte du Puy) 45gr, 1.6oz
1/2 cup beef or chicken stock, 112.5gr, 4oz
1 tbs fresh, snipped chives or garlic chives
Balsamic Vinaigrette
1 tbs Balsamic vinegar, 16gr, .56oz
2 tsp soy sauce, 11gr, .37oz
1 tsp Dijon-style mustard, 5gr, .18oz
2 tbs good olive oil, 27gr, .96oz
2 tsp sesame of walnut oil, 9gr, .32oz, optional