Chilled Quinoa "Superfood" Salad

If you're in a quinoa slump, look no further than our recipe for this chilled quinoa salad to revive your love affair with this healthy grain! This dish serves as an excellent main course or side; it's light, summery, fresh, and oh-so-delicious, utilizing several "superfoods" (quinoa, extra-virgin olive oil, kale, tomatoes, and lentils) for a meal you can always feel good after eating!

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• 1 cup Tri-color quinoa
• 1 3/4 cup water
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• 2 medium sweet poatoes
• 1/2 red onion
• 3 cups kale
• 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil (plus more for drizzling)
• 3 cloves minced garlic
• 1 tomato
• 1 cup canned lentils
• Sea salt
• Ground pepper
• 1 lemon
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley

1. In a wire sieve, rinse the quiona to get rid of the butter taste. In a medium saucepan, cover 1 cup quinoa with 1 3/4 cup water. Add 1/2 teaspoon salt. Set over low heat, stirring occasionally. Once the quinoa begins to boil, lower the heat and continue to cook, about 15 minutes, until the water is absorbed.
2. Peel and chop sweet potato, into about 1/2-inch cubes. After your quinoa has reached its boil and the heat has been lowered, add the sweet potatoes to the boiling water and allow to cook with the quinoa. Once quiona and sweet potatoes have finished cooking, take off the heat. There shouldn't be water to drain.
3. In a medium sautée pan over low heat, add 3 tablespoons of olive oil. Allow to heat up while you julienne your red onion, then add to pan. Stir and cook about 5 minutes, until onion begins to soften and grow translucent. Add 3 cups of chopped kale and 3 cloves of minced garlic, then continue cooking until kale has wilted, about 3 minutes. Take off the heat and salt and pepper generously.
4. Dice your tomato and rinse your can of lentils. In a large bowl, combine quiona and sweet potatoes, onion and kale mixture, tomato, and canned lentils. Add one tablespoon of chopped parsley, the juice of one lemon, and a generous drizzle of olive oil. Use two spoons to toss and combine the mixture, adding salt and pepper to taste. Allow to chill before serving.

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