fresh quinoa & lentil salad with rainbow radishes and lemony cumin dressing

some of my fondest childhood memories are of my family preparing for big dinner parties or celebrations. sometimes the preparations would begin days in advance, and i loved the buzz this created in the house. friends and family would come over to help- it was a communal experience: women sitting around the table slicing and dicing vegetables, mincing herbs, preparing shrimp (i used to love watching as they carefully de-veined big bowls of them), looking up recipes, taste testing (this is where i came in), baking, mixing drinks, chatting, and laughing. there was always lots of laughter, and that is what i remember the most-the giddy happiness that took over everyone. the merry mood rubbed off on us kids as we roamed around happily and begged to help-mostly we were given small duties like folding napkins or laying out the cutlery while what we really wanted to do was "play" with the food. often my sister and i were given a rather big bowl of peas or lava beans to shell, and we’d ask for more before we were done. somehow we took an enormous pleasure in performing those simple tasks. sometimes my grandmothers would be asked to contribute their special dishes to the dinners, but i don't ever remember any guests bringing food with them to the party, which is why the concept of the "pot luck" dinner was so unfamiliar to me when i first came to california (i have come to embrace it). we often do a pot luck dinner at our monthly book club meetings, and much to our amusement, without discussing a menu or theme in advance, we always end up with a perfectly well balanced dinner (did i say delicious)? last night i brought a quinoa lentil salad which went perfectly with gitu's indian chicken meatballs, margo's spicy shrimp ceviche, and britton's mache salad with papaya & goat cheese. don't get me started on claire's dessert: (out of this world) home made burnt honey ice cream with peaches in a verbena infused syrup....heavenly! (i'm hoping to get the recipe soon).

ingredients for the quinoa lentil salad:

• 1 cup cooked quinoa

• 1 cup small green or black beluga lentils, cooked

• 1 bunch organic rainbow radishes, thinly sliced (about10-12)

• 2 heirloom medium tomatoes, finely cubed

• 3-4 scallions thinly sliced

• 1 bunch organic flat leaf parsley, finely chopped (about 1/4-1/2 cup)

• 1 large or 2 small lemons (or limes), juiced

• 2 tbs extra virgin olive oil

• sea salt to taste

• 1 tsp cayenne pepper (spicy)

• 2 tsp cumin powder

1. cook the quinoa and lentils separately in lightly salted water. drain extra water, and seat aside to cool

2. chop the tomatoes, parsley, and scallions, and thinly slice the radishes (you can use a grater or a mandolin). add to a bowl with cold quinoa and lentils.

3. in a small bowl combine lemon juice, olive oil, sea salt, cayenne pepper, and cumin, whisk together, then pour over the ingredients and mix well.

margo's lovely ceviche platter and britton's mache salad with papaya, goat cheese, & almonds