Aubergine Stacks with Red Lentils and Quinoa

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This simple, natural gluten free recipe for a satisfying, tasty red lentil-quinoa eggplant salad stack is full of all the things a balanced, nutritious meal requires: vitamins, fiber, carbohydrates, and protein.

Quinoa is a delicious whole "grain" that is easy to digest, full of high quality complete protein, fiber, and magnesium. Nutritionally mighty lentils are a very good source of cholesterol-lowering fiber and also provide good amounts of protein and minerals.

100 g Quinoa 100 g Red lentils 2 Large aubergine, cut crossways into twelve 1.5cm-thick slices Olive oil spray A few cherry tomatoes, diced 1 Small red onion, diced 3 tbsp Chopped spring onions 2 tbsp White balsamic vinegar 2-3 tbsp Olive oil Salt and pepper to taste Some baby salad leaves Balsamic cream, optional

1. Put the quinoa in a sieve and rinse in cold water. Cook the quinoa in a pot of boiling water for 10-15 minutes until tender, drain well, then set aside to cool.
   
2. Rinse and drain the red lentils. Pop them in a pot with 1 cup of water. Bring to the boil, then turn down and simmer for about 5 minutes until tender yet firm.
   
3. Heat a large frying pan over medium-high heat. Spray the eggplant with olive oil spray. Add half the eggplant to the pan and cook for 6 minutes each side or until tender and golden. Repeat with remaining eggplant.
   
4. In a bowl, place the quinoa, red lentils, tomato, red onion, and spring onions in a bowl. Drizzle over the balsamic vinegar and the oil. Season with salt and pepper. Toss to combine.
   
5. Layer the eggplant slices with lentil-quinoa mixture, finishing with a slice of eggplant. Top with some salad leaves. Drizzle over some balsamic cream over to serve.

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