Recently we attended a dinner for Woodstock Farm Sanctuary and the food was outstanding! There was a round of appetizers which included a white bean spread with ramp pesto on toast and a roasted red pepper hummus in endive lettuce cups. The entree was made up of 4 big bowls of creativity that we shared family style: roasted beets and plums, sweet potatoes and mushrooms, asparagus and ramps, and the inspiration for this dish, quinoa salad with white lentils, smoked tofu, roasted garlic and cauliflower.
The memory of the quinoa from the dinner came up when I looked in the refrigerator today and saw the quinoa and lentils leftover from the Green Pea Hummus Plate, the roasted garlic from the farmer’s market and half a head of cauliflower just waiting to be eaten.
2 cups cooked quinoa
1 cup cooked French lentils
1/2 head of roasted cauliflower
1/2 cup toasted pine nuts
Cook the quinoa and lentils. Roast the cauliflower by tossing with a small amount of olive oil and salt and pepper in a 400 oven for about 30 minutes. Toast the pine nuts on the stove top on low heat in a skillet until they are nice and browned.
Balsamic Roasted Garlic Vinaigrette
2 tablespoons roasted garlic, mashed well
3 tablespoons olive oil
1tablespoon really good balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon dijon mustard
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
S and P
Place everything into a small jar and shake until it comes together.
Mix the quinoa, lentils, cauliflower, and pine nuts together. Add the vinaigrette and mix really well. Enjoy!