Amaranth Salad

a spoonful of raw amaranth and a bowl of the ancient grain
This content originally appeared on 
tasteforlife.com
Prep Time:
40 minutes
Yield:
Serves 4

Ingredients

Dressing

  • Juice of 1 lemon
  • 2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
  • 3 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

Salad

  • 8 oz green lentils
  • 2⁄3 cups amaranth
  • 1 medium zucchini
  • 1⁄3 cups oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, drained and chopped
  •  Salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • 1⁄4 cups chopped fresh mint leaves

Directions

  1. Whisk together all dressing ingredients in a small bowl. Set aside.
  2. Place lentils in a medium pot with a lid. Cover lentils with cold water until they’re covered by 1 inch. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium and cook lentils, partially covered with lid on, for 20 minutes, or until tender. Drain lentils, if needed, and set them aside in a large bowl.
  3. Add amaranth to a small dry pan set over medium heat. Shaking pan occasionally, toast amaranth for about 5 minutes, until grains turn golden and begin to pop. Pour 1 cup water over popping grains and bring mixture to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook grains for 6 minutes, or until tender. Drain amaranth in a fine-mesh strainer and add to lentils.
  4. Grate zucchini using the large holes on a hand-held grater. Add zucchini and tomatoes to lentil-amaranth mixture. Stir in dressing.
  5. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Garnish with fresh mint leaves.

Nutrition Info

451 Calories, 20 g Protein, 64 g Carbohydrates, 10 g Fiber, 15 g Total fat (2 g sat), 328 mg Sodium, ★★★★★ Vitamin C, Phosphorus, ★★★★ Iron, ★★★ Vitamin B1 (thiamine), Vitamin B6, Magnesium, ★★ Potassium, Zinc, ★ Vitamin B2 (riboflavin), Vitamin B3 (niacin), Vitamin E, Vitamin K, Calcium