Gut loving recipe: Tahini & pomegranate quinoa salad
This colourful salad is a delightful combination of fruity sweetness and aromatic spicing, perfect for any occasion. If you’re serving for a dinner party, simply multiply the recipe to what you need. Be generous with the toppings to give this the wow factor at the table.
Ingredients
Serves 2
20g flaked almonds
3 carrots
1 tablespoon cumin seeds
1 tablespoon fennel seeds
1 tablespoon white sesame seeds
2 teaspoon thyme
½ teaspoon garlic powder
½ teaspoon salt flakes
180g quinoa
250ml vegetable stock
Handful coriander, chopped
Handful parsley, chopped
Handful spinach, chopped
½ lemon
½ pomegranate, seeds removed
1 tablespoon tahini
1 tablespoon honey
Carrots & flaked almonds
Preheat your oven to 200 degrees. Lay the flaked almonds on a baking tray and roast for around 8 mins until they are golden. Wash the carrots and cut in half lengthways, removing the heads. Place on a roasting tray and then drizzle over a roasting oil (rapeseed oil is best) and season with salt flakes. Roast for around 20-25 mins, depending on the size of your carrots.
In a frying pan, dry fry the sesame seeds, fennel seeds and cumin seeds for 1 min. Remove from the heat and mix with the tyme, salt and garlic. Set aside for dressing the salad later.
Whilst the carrots are in the oven you can cook your quinoa, it will need around 12 mins to cook in the stock. Once cooked, drain any remaining water then add half of the herbs, chopped, along with the spinach, mixing in the juice of half a lemon and the olive oil.
TOP TIP ALERT: To prepare your pomegranate, cut in half. Hold the open side of the pomegranate so it’s facing the palm of your hand, holding the outside with your fingers. Using a wooden spoon, tap sharply on the top of the pomegranate to release the seeds (place a bowl below your hand to catch the seeds). Keep tapping until all the seeds have fallen out.
To dress your salad spoon out all of the couscous onto a serving tray and then lay the carrots on top. Next drizzle over a tablespoon of tahini and then top with a tablespoon of honey, making sure it’s evenly spread over the carrots. Sprinkle over the seed mix, flaked almonds the rest of the chopped herbs and then cover generously with pomegranate seeds.
