Superfood Salad

When I traveled to England last summer (you can see the posts here, here, here and here), I ate a lot of budget-friendly "on-the-go" food... My favorite place of nourishment was a natural food chain called Pret-a-Manger, it featured a variety of healthy sandwiches, salads, soups, snacks and drinks, but another favorite was the food section at Marks & Spencer. That is where I came across a salad that I vowed to reproduce at home, as it was delicious, protein-filled and, above all, healthy! The name was Super Wholefood Shaker Salad, and it consisted of quinoa, wild rice, lentils, butternut squash, cucumber, red pepper, tomato and sunflower and pumpkin seeds, dressed with basil-infused sunflower oil and lemon juice. The salad was packaged in a plastic shaker cup, so you could add the separately packaged dressing, put the lid back on and "shake" to blend.

Today was finally the day to make this salad, and, I have to say, it's just as delicious as I remember! I obviously did not have the proportions, only the list of ingredients, so I made it up as I went along... I am listing amounts just as a guideline, I would suggest you adjust it to your personal preferences. 

SUPERFOOD SALAD

4 cups cooked organic quinoa

1 cup cooked wild rice (I used Bob's Red Mill's quick cooking wild rice)

1 cup cooked lentils (I used Bob's Red Mill's petite french lentils)

1 roasted red pepper, chopped

1 cup chopped and roasted butternut squash

1 cup chopped cucumber

1/2 cup chopped tomatoes

sunflower and pumpkin seeds

Chopped basil to taste (optional)

As you can tell, I made a large portion... It will keep in the refrigerator for a few days and my kids will enjoy taking some to school. The original recipe used basil-infused sunflower oil and lemon juice for the dressing. Since I don't have any at hand I just added a little bit of chopped basil, then drizzled a little olive oil and lemon juice with a pinch of sea salt. I will also only add the dressing to the portion I am going to eat, I like it better this way. Next time I make it, I will try and add other veggies, such as asparagus or broccoli... What would you add to your superfood salad?