Vegan lentil quinoa supersalad

Breakfast: Raw vegan apple crumble slices with a nice big glass of almond milk

Lunch: Miso soup with noodles

Dinner: Vegan Lentil quinoa supersalad

The concept of a supersalad first encroached upon my life in 2009, when flatmates Tom, Louise and I started lazily throwing together a whole bunch of good stuff to create an easy but amazingly healthy salad a few times a week. Our original recipe (if you can call it that) was based around brown rice, and once we can remember what exactly was in it, I hope to post it here.

Recently, though, I've begun making a new supersalad - one that's even more super than the last, if you can believe it. With lentil and quinoa as the staples in this, and asparagus, almonds, mint, pepper and coriander, it's not only a taste sensation but a whole protein source too.

You'll need
(Feeds 2-4)

1/3 cup green lentils, soaked
1 cup quinoa
1 large red pepper, diced
1/2 bunch asparagus, chopped
1/2 cup almonds, roughly chopped
beansprouts
small handful coriander, chopped
fresh mint, chopped
juice of 2 limes
tiny splash of soy sauce

Method:

Put the quinoa in a pan with 2 cups water and simmer until the liquid is absorbed totally
Boil the lentils in water while this is happening
After around 30 mins, drain the lentils and take the quinoa off the heat. Leave both to cool
Place the asparagus in a steamer or sieve over a pan of boiling water to steam for 5 minutes
When the lentils and quinoa have cooled, toss them together in a bowl
Add the red pepper, asparagus, almonds, mint, coriander, beansprouts, soy sauce and lime juice
Stir thoroughly and serve

This salad is not only delicious (I love the combination of mint, coriander and lime juice) and light, it contains all 9 essential amino acids and therefore makes up a whole protein. It also contains a shedload of fiber, vitamins and iron, which is often a concern for vegetarians and vegans. Could you ask for more?