Marie a la Mode: Carrot, Lentil + Raisin Quinoa Salad

It's Easter this weekend and I was wondering what type of vegan, gluten-free dish I could make for Sunday dinner that I hadn't made before and luckily I came across this carrot, lentil and raisin salad on Deliciously Ella last week which sounded, well, delicious ; ). I decided to test it out a couple of days ago first before I shared it with family. It was super-easy to make and quite tasty so if you're looking for a healthy and hearty salad to serve for Easter I highly recommend this one. Below is the recipe. (All measurements are for the raw ingredients.)

You will need:
- 3/4 of a cup of quinoa
- 3 carrots
- 1/2 a cup of lentils
- 1/2 a cup of raisins
- 1/2 a cup of pine nuts
- 1 large butternut squash (I used a yam because there was no squash at the grocery store)

For the dressing:
- 3 tablespoons of olive oil
- 2 tablespoons of tahini (I bought this from Planet Organic)
- 1 teaspoon of tamari (I also bought this from Planet Organic)
- 1 lime
- salt

Directions:
- Start by pre-heating the oven to 190 C, then peel and cut the yam into bite-sized chunks. Place them on a baking tray with parchment paper and drizzle with olive oil, salt and pepper (you can also add rosemary if you like.) Bake for 30 minutes until soft
- Cook the quinoa in 1.5 cups of water for approximately 15 minutes and at the same time cook the lentils. You can add a bit of apple cider vinaigrette if you want, while they start to cook, to add some flavor
- Once the quinoa and lentils are cooking, place the raisins in a cup of warm water and let them soak, this will make them juicier
- Peel and grate the carrots using the fattest holes on a cheese grater
- Finally, make the dressing by mixing the olive oil, tahini, tamari, lime and salt with a fork until smooth
- Place all the ingredients into a large salad bowl, mix with the dressing and enjoy!