I got a few emails commenting on the picture on my page looking good enough to eat, which indeed it is,  so here is the recipe. The salmon is not pictured.  Lovely heart, healthy Valentine’s Day Dinner

Dressing:
½ cup orange muscat champagne vinegar *
¾ tsp ginger
¾ tsp chipotle powder
½ tsp salt
½ tsp pepper
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil

Fish:
1 lb salmon
2 T minced shallots

Salad:
1 cup quinoa, rinsed well
½ cup red lentils, picked over & rinsed
1 C low sodium veggie stock
4-5 oz baby spinach, roughly chopped
¾ cup diced red or sweet onion
1 small zucchini, diced
1½ cup roasted corn kernels
1½ cup diced tomato or halved grape tomatoes
2 T chopped fresh flat leaf parsley
whole basil leaves & chiffonade for garnish

* if you can’t find this vinegar (available at Trader Joe’s, substitute 1/4 C orange juice and 1/4 C champagne, white basalmic or cider vinegar. Make the dressing – combine the vinegar, spices, salt and pepper.  Whisk in the olive oil.  Pour about 1/3 over the salmon. Top with the shallots and a bit more pepper. Grill or broil the salmon till barely done.  Set aside.

Toast the quinoa in a heavy bottomed pan until it starts to pop and smell nutty.  Carefully add the lentils, veggie stock and 2¼ C water to the pan. Bring to a simmer and cook for 15 min or until just tender.  Add the spinach and stir to wilt it.  Add the onion, zucchini, corn, tomato.  Stir to combine.  Drizzle in enough dressing to moisten well.  Mix in the parsley & basil chiffonade. Garnish with the basil.    Serve at room temperature with the salmon.

I used a heart shaped cookie cutter as a mold for the salad. Just spoon into the mold.  Tamp down. Remove the cutter.

You can also use a disher or ice cream scoop to make a neat mound of salad on the plate.  Another idea, next time you make tuna fish salad, save the can and take off the top and bottom. You now have a round mold.