Quinoa and Lentils with Roasted Cauliflower

Quinoa (keen-wah) gets a lot of attention these days.  Why??  It is a complete protein! Meaning, it contains all 9 essential amino acids that our bodies cannot make.  It is another low-energy-density food, meaning fewer calories given the volume of food. It has iron and is rich in antioxidants.  You may have heard your doctor or friends suggest an anti-inflammatory diet. Quinoa is a great addition to these diets that help to decrease pain throughout the body.  It is also very easy to make.
We have added red lentils to this dish to give it an extra protein boost and topped with roasted cauliflower and our tahini dressing.  We all licked our plates clean tonight :)  I served it with a fresh from our garden, cucumber and tomato salad.

1 head of cauliflower, sliced in florets
2 Tbs olive oil
Salt and Pepper

1 c red quinoa
1 c red lentils
1 medium leek, white and light green parts only, thinly sliced
1/2 medium red onion, chopped
1 Tbs olive oil
1 c sherry cooking wine, can also use white wine
1 c water

1/3 c tahini
2 Tbs lemon juice
2 Tbs red wine vinegar
1 Tbs olive oil
1 tsp garlic powder
1 Tbs honey
1 tsp salt

toasted pumpkin seeds

Place cauliflower in an oven safe dish and bake at 400 for about 30 minutes, covered only for the first half, until softened and slightly browned.

While cauliflower is baking, saute leek and red onion in olive oil over medium heat until soft and translucent.  Add quinoa, water and sherry, bring to a boil then cover and gently simmer for about 8 minutes.  Add lentils and simmer for about 10 minutes. Add more water if necessary to ensure mixture doesn't burn down. All water should be absorbed at the end of the 10 minutes.  If it isn't, drain it off.

Mix together the tahini dressing while that is cooking and toast the pumpkins seeds as well.

Place quinoa mixture on a plate, top with cauliflower then pour the tahini dressing over the top and sprinkle toasted pumpkin seeds.