Beans and Beetroot - a colourful experience

Well. alphabetically beans come before beetroot, but beetroot has the advantage of being prettier, so we'll go with beetroot first. Both these recipes are salads and supposed to be side dishes. I always have them as a main.
Quinoa is a brilliant little "super"grain - high in protein and gluten free. Freely available at P&P or health shops. You cook it as you would rice, just less water and a shorter time. The bean salad looks basic, but is really delicious. I love making it (EASY!!) and thoroughly enjoy eating it. This is so incredibly simple, but you literally feel the health oozing through your cholesterol laden veins!!!!!!
                  
                Lentil and Roasted beetroot salad
Serves 4
250g beetroot, washed and quartered
1 or 2 red onions, quartered
20ml olive oil
Dash balsamic vinegar
Salt and pepper (be stingy)
Roast beetroot with remaining ingredients till starting to soften, about half an hour.

180g lentils
2 bay leaves
4 garlic cloves, bruised
30ml fresh thyme
Place lentils and remaining ingredients in a pot, cover with water and boil till soft. Can use a low salt vegetable stock for some flavour, or even half red wine and half water which is what I do. Drain and remove leaves and garlic.

Dressing:
50ml olive oil
30ml red wine vinegar
2 garlic cloves finely chopped
salt and pepper to taste

To dress:
150g feta, crumbled
40ml fresh mint
Onion - see note at end

Whisk dressing ingredients together, mix warm lentils and beetroot together and pour dressing over. Scatter with feta and mint and serve while still warmish.
NOTE: If you like raw onion, exclude the roasted onion and finely slice 1 raw red onion into your salad.

                                Chargrilled green beans in lemon, chilli and coriander
Serves 4
250ml quinoa
300g green beans, tossed in oil, zest and juice of 1 lemon
1/2 clove garlic, crushed
1 chilli, seeded and chopped - optional
1 handful fresh coriander, roughly chopped
50g pine nuts, toasted (5 min in oven)

Cook the quinoa in salted water. Heat a griddle pan and chargrill the beans in batches. Return to marinade and add coriander and chilli if using. Once quinoa is cooked, toss through green beans or lay beans on top, add nuts and serve.
As always, hope you enjoy and surprise yourself by trying something new.