Kasha salad for health

I have been wanting to give whole grains a try for a long time now, so when Lisa announced this month's theme for No Croutons Required I was excited. Here is my entry for this month's event.
Greek Kasha Salad (Adapted from here, I have marked the changes made in Red)

First some introduction to Kasha- It is a porridge commonly eaten in Eastern European countries. A common misconception is that Kasha is buckwheat groats but it is actually a meal made from any ingredient such as wheat, barley and oats. For more information you can check here or here or here!

KASHA SALAD

Ingredients

1 cup dried green lentils (I used whole green moong dal)
1 bay leaf
Salt and pepper to taste
3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1/2 cup kasha (I used buckwheat groats)
1 shallot, thinly sliced
1 clove garlic, thinly sliced

1 tsp ginger, minced
1 cup water, vegetable broth
3 tablespoons oregano leaves (I used dried)
1 tomato, chopped
1/3 cup chopped pitted Kalamata olives
2 green onions, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley
1/3 cup crumbled feta cheese (I used about 1/2 cup)

Fresh lemon juice (from half a lemon)

Method

Pressure cook the lentils in 2 1/2 cups of water (add the bay leaf too) along with some salt and pepepr. Once it is done, discard bay leaf and drain lentils well (I used this liquid in my pasta sauce).

Meanwhile, heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a small pot over medium heat. Add kasha, shallots and garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, until shallots are softened. Add the broth and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook (with the cover on) until water is almost absorbed and kasha is almost tender, about 5 minutes. Add oregano, continue to simmer (again put the cover back on-just so the kasha can get cooked well) until liquid is completely absorbed, 3 to 4 minutes more. Remove from heat and set aside, uncovered, to let cool.

Put lentils, kasha mixture, tomatoes, olives, green onions, parsley, remaining 2 tablespoons oil, salt and pepper into a large bowl and toss gently to combine. Serve at room temperature with feta cheese and lemon juice.

Judgement: I loved this salad (Great for a hot summer day)- the kasha was tender and had a bite to it so you could tell it apart from the lentils. Next time I am going to increase the amount of kasha and decrease the amount of lentils (may be try some other lentils).