Like most people, I like my lunches to be as effortless as possible.  This usually means left-overs from last night’s dinner, some sort of sandwich or rice cake creation, or– especially as the weather gets warmer– grabbing whatever items I have in the fridge and throwing them into a bowl.  One of my favorite bases for the “grain” element of the bowl lunch is quinoa, which tastes great at any temperature and is easy to cook a big batch of to have throughout the week.  The same goes for lentils, or feel free to substitute canned (BPA-free and rinsed, please).  Of course with any bowl dish it’s the toppings that make it shine.  Here I used sliced almonds, radish microgreens, olives, and avocado, and seasoned with olive oil, lemon, and a little harissa.  It’s hippie food in the best sense possible.  Delicious, delicious hippie food.

¾ cup cooked and cooled quinoa
½ cup cooked and cooled lentils
olive oil
squeeze or two of lemon
sea salt
a little hot sauce (I like something thick here, like harissa or sriracha)
diced avocado
chopped olives
handful of microgreens, pea shoots, sprouts, etc.
handful of sliced almonds

Combine quinoa and lentils in a bowl and toss with a little olive oil, squeeze of lemon, and sea salt. Top with everything else, then, if desired, finish with another small drizzle of oil and squeeze of lemon.

Yield: 1 serving