When attempting to eat healthy, many get stuck in a rut of making a handful of healthy, tasty recipes over and over. Diversifying the recipe portfolio, though, can introduce new tastes to the palette and new nutrients to the body. This lentil and quinoa salad is from a cookbook titled Once Upon a Tart by Frank Mantesana and Jerome Audureau. They have a bakery and café in New York City with the same name, a must visit for every N.Y.C. foodie. This vegan-approved salad is amazing, tastes great and fills you up.Although not a common item in most kitchens, quinoa is an amino acid-rich (protein) seed that has a fluffy, creamy, slightly crunchy texture and a somewhat nutty flavor when cooked. Quinoa is available in your local health food stores any time of the year.

Commonly considered a grain, quinoa (pronounced keen-wah) is actually a relative of leafy green vegetables such as spinach and Swiss chard. A recently rediscovered ancient “grain” native to South America, quinoa was once called “the gold of the Incas,” who recognized its value in increasing the stamina of their warriors. Not only is quinoa high in protein, the protein it supplies is complete protein, meaning that it includes all nine essential amino acids. It’s also packed with the amino acid lysine, which is essential for tissue growth and repair. In addition to protein, quinoa features a host of other health-building nutrients. Because quinoa is a very good source of manganese as well as a good source of magnesium, iron, copper and phosphorous, this “grain” may be especially valuable for persons with migraine headaches, diabetes and atherosclerosis.

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1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

Place the six cups unsalted water and the lentils in a big saucepan and bring to a boil over high heat. Lower the heat and simmer, uncovered, for 20-25 minutes, until the beans are tender but not losing their skins. The best way to test is to bite into one. Drain the lentils in a colander and dump them into a big bowl.

At the same time you’re cooking the lentils, place the three cups unsalted water and the quinoa in another big saucepan and bring them to a boil over high heat. Lower the heat and simmer, uncovered, for 10-15 minutes, until the quinoa looks slightly translucent and as if it has a tail, a spiral separating from the grain. Drain well through a fine sieve or mesh colander (the grains will fall through the holes of a regular colander) and add to the bowl with the lentils.

Add the grated carrots and the chopped cilantro to the bowl. Pour the vinaigrette over the salad and toss with a big spoon or with your hands. This salad is delicious any way you serve it: still warm, at room temperature, or chilled.

1/2 cup olive oil

Whisk all the ingredients except the olive oil together in a small bowl. Add the olive oil in a slow, thin, steady stream, whisking as you go to form an emulsion.