Sprout & Pomegranate Winter Salad
Well welcome to our first recipe of 2023!
It was hard to decide on what our first recipe of the year should be, but after lots of discussions we thought we would just show you what we have been making in the past few days. One of our favourites at the minute is this quinoa salad. It will give you a full on vitamin boost that we all need after the over indulgence of Christmas. We are sure you will love this incredible, fresh tasting salad and it is so simple to prepare.
You might be thinking why brussels? But they really are a super food, they are cheap, in season and when dressed in lemon juice and seasoned they couldn't be further away from the gross, soggy brussels you hated as a kid. If you never got over your deep seated hatred for these little green balls of goodness you can use white or red cabbage instead, just shred super fine.
Quinoa is an easy grain to cook and it’s great to simmer it in stock to add extra flavour. We simmer the quinoa for 10 minutes then take of it off the heat and let it sit for 5-10 minutes with the lid on as it needs to be quite dry for this recipe.
I’m afraid dried herbs just won’t cut it in this recipe, the fresh herbs really elevate the dish and it wouldn't be the same without them. Sumac is also a star of the show adding a sharp, tangy flavour to the dish. This might be a new ingredient for you but it can be found in most supermarkets and well worth picking up as its very versatile and can be used in salads and dressing or used in dry rubs and marinades. So get cooking guys and we hope you enjoy this recipe, its great in a lunchbox or as a side to a bit of protein, our meat eater of the family has been enjoying this with chicken so its great dish for the family to share
Ingredients
300g butternut squash, cubed
2 small carrots cut into large chunks
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp sumac
100g uncooked quinoa
300ml stock
150g brussel sprouts or white cabbage shredded
1 lemon
small bunch fresh parsley, chopped
small bunch fresh mint, chopped
1 tbsp olive oil
50g pine nuts
50g pomegranate seeds
Dressing
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tbsp red wine vinegar
1 tbsp pomegranate mollasses
½ tsp sumac
salt and pepper to taste
Method
Preheat the oven to 180°C
Toss the squash and carrots in 1tbsp of oil, add the paprika and sumac and season well
Roast in the oven for around 20 minutes until cooked through
Simmer the quinoa in the stock for 10 minutes, take off the heat cover with a lid and let it stand for 5-10 minutes
Dress the shredded brussels (or cabbage if using) with 2tbsp of lemon juice and season well
Add the quinoa and roasted veg to the brussels along with the mint, parsley and pine nuts
Mix the ingredients for the dressing stir in to the salad then top with the pomegranate seeds