Mediterranean Quinoa Salad

Such a beautiful and colorful salad, rich in Mediterranean flavors

1 cup of dry quinoa

1 cup of frozen or canned chickpeas (washed and strained)

1 chopped onion

1 cup of boiled and strained lentils

Diced eggplant

Sweet potato, peeled and diced

1/2 cup of chopped cilantro

1/2 cup of chopped parsley

1/2 cubed red pepper

1/2 cubed yellow/orange pepper

1 tomato, cut into cubes

3 chopped green onion stems

Season with salt, black pepper and, ,of course cumin

The juice of one lemon

3-4 tablespoons olive oil for the salad seasoning, and some more for roasting

Soak the quinoa in water for 10 minutes, strain. Bring to a boil the quinoa and a cup of water; lower the flame, and cook for another fifteen minutes, until the quinoa is ready.
In another pot, boil the lentils until they are soft, but not too soft.
Chop the onion and fry with olive oil. When the onion reaches a brown color, add the chickpeas, and fry for a few more minutes.
Dice the eggplant and the sweet potato and put on a sheet pan lined with parchment paper with a little olive oil; bake in the oven for about 10 minutes.
Now assemble the salad:
In the bowl put the prepared quinoa, chickpeas and fried onions, lentils, baked sweet potato and eggplant, red and orange pepper, tomato, green onion, parsley and coriander, and mix.
Season with olive oil, salt, ground black pepper, cumin, and the juice from one lemon (add more if needed).
Optional: you can add chopped jalapeño and crushed garlic.
The salad is better after it is refrigerated for a couple of hours.