I came home from work and the gym the other day, thinking ‘What on earth will I bring to work tomorrow to eat?’ I always bring my own food to make sure I eat healthy and balanced meals with no unnecessary additives. But of course, it takes time to cook. That’s why all portions of my recipes are always huge, as I cook in batches to save time. So anyway, I came home, looked at my fridge and cupboard and realized I’ll have to come up with something new as I did not have anything planned and it was late already.

That’s how this warm salad was created and I have to say it is amazing and can be eaten on its own or as a side dish. Next day, I cooked some fish to top it off and it paired perfectly. Now, I forgot to take pictures when I was cooking so I only have one. I got used to taking a picture of the meals I cooked a while ago.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup of quinoa
• 1 cup of black lentils
• a bag of frozen vegetables
• a few garlic cloves
• olive oil
• salt, black pepper, paprika
• a mix of dried herbs
• avocado (optional)

In one small pot, cook quinoa, and in another, cook black lentils. Both in slightly salted water. In the meantime, chop garlic. Roast garlic for a minute and put it aside. In a deep pan, throw in your frozen vegetables and let them cook on a medium heat. No oil needed at all. It will take a few minutes. If there’s too much water, pour it off.

Don’t forget to check on your quinoa and lentils, set them aside when they are cooked. Once vegetables are soft and ready, throw in garlic, cooked quinoa and black lentils. Season with black pepper, paprika, dried herbs and a little olive oil. Mix everything and cook for a couple of minutes.

Eat the salad with avocado slices or pour some olive oil for healthy fats and to help vitamin absorption.

Bonus tip:

You can beat a few eggs in for extra nutrition and taste. Just make sure to cook everything very well while stirring continuously.