Liven up your midday meals with a touch of colour and a burst of flavour
Healthy
Roasted cauliflower salad with tahini dressing
By Veg for Life (VfL), a charity dedicated to supporting older vegans and vegetarians living in care homes as well as independently. (vforlife.org.uk) Serves 4 | Prep 20 mins | Cook 30 mins
1 cauliflower 1 red onion 2 tbsp oil 30g (1 cup) parsley, finely chopped 100g (3-4 cups) baby spinach
FOR THE DRESSING
50g (scant ¼ cup) tahini 120ml (½ cup) water 15g (1 tbsp) smooth peanut butter 2 garlic cloves 4 tbsp lemon juice 1 tsp Dijon mustard 1 tsp cumin
FOR THE TOPPING
1 tbsp oil 240g (1⅔ cups) tinned chickpeas, drained, rinsed, and left to dry 1 tsp salt 1 tsp smoked paprika 1 tsp onion powder
TO GARNISH
2 spring onions, sliced diagonally
4 tbsp sliced almonds, roasted
2 tbsp pomegranate seeds
1 Preheat the oven to 200°C/Gas Mark 6 and cover a flat baking tray with some parchment paper.
2 Prepare the cauliflower by chopping into small florets of similar size. Peel the onion, cut in half, then slice.
Place the cauliflower florets and the onion in the baking tray, drizzle with oil and toss until coated.
3 Roast the cauliflower and onion in the oven for 20 minutes. Stir the cauliflower and roast for a further 15 minutes.
4 Prepare the dressing by adding all the ingredients into a food processor, or use a stick blender, and blend until creamy. Set aside until required.
5 To prepare the chickpeas, make sure they are dry by patting with a paper towel.
6 Preheat the oil and add the chickpeas. Fry until golden and crispy, then turn off the heat and add the topping spices. Coat the chickpeas and place them on a paper towel to cool.
7 When the cauliflower is cooked, leave it to cool slightly or completely.
8 If using seeds from a pomegranate, slice the pomegranate in half and use a wooden spoon to tap the back of the pomegranate over a bowl so the seeds fall out.
9 Place roasted cauliflower and onions in the bowl and add dressing. Gently mix, so the florets get coated, but don’t fall apart.
10 Add the baby spinach and the parsley and gently mix.
11 Serve on a plate, then top with sliced spring onion, toasted almonds, and pomegranate seeds. Enjoy cold or warm.
NUTRITIONAL INFO
Calories (per serving) 366 | Total fat 23.2g Saturates 3.1g | Salt 2.16g | Sugar 6.7g Carbohydrates 33.1g | Protein 12.1g
Chickpea tuna sandwich
By Hannah Sunderani from Two Spoons (twospoons.ca) Serves 4 | Prep 10 mins | Cook none
330g (2 cups) chickpeas 3 tbsp tahini juice of 1 lemon 40g (¼ cup) red onion, finely chopped ¼ tsp sea salt ¼ tsp pepper 8 slices of whole wheat bread 4 tsp
