Eat Happy
It was just Mummy B and I tonight, so whilst she painted up a design for her dream reading garden they’ve won funding for at her school, I rummaged through her sketch book whilst cooking us up a super healthy and delicious dinner (even if i say so myself!) , inspired by a foodie I’ve been following for a while, Deliciously Ella.
The trick to this dish was to cram as many veg into it as possible, use up some baked sweet potatoes we had in the fridge and keep it vegan (as it was just the two of us and Dad and my brother wouldn’t complain about the lack of meat/dairy/carbs/chocolate in the meal)!
To recreate your own version you will need:
Salad
- Fresh mixed salad leaves (organic if possible – but make sure you wash off all the baby slugs!)
- Chunks of cucumber
- Sticks of carrot (because we all know carrots taste so much better as sticks)
- Slices of cooked or pickled beetroot
- Balsamic Vinegar
- 2 tbsp homemade pesto
- 1/2 tin cooked chickpeas
- 2 semi-cooked sweet potatoes (not too soft – al dente is better here)
- Cajun spices/harrissa spices/any sort of spice you fancy
- A little coconut oil
Dressing
- 2 tbsp tahini
- 1/2 lime (juice)
- Squeeze of lemon juice
- Salt and Pepper
- Drizzle of olive oil (about 3 tbsp)
- 2 tbsp raw honey
Reading garden design – took her all of about 10 mins. I wish I could draw!
Instructions
The only bits that require any preparation for this salad are the chickpeas and the sweet potato fries. I love having a mix of hold and cold in a good salad so I mixed the pesto with the chickpeas and lay them on a baking tray to warm in the AGA for a while whilst I got on with the sweet potatoes. They could be served cold if preferred.
For the sweet potato fries I sliced the sweet potatoes length ways into chip shapes, to stop them falling apart, don’t cook them till soft before hand. Heat up some coconut oil in a frying pan and add your spices. Tonight I chose cajun (cumin, paprika, coriander, oregano and black pepper) but you could put in any spice mix you fancy). Simply fry off the sweet potato so that they are crispy but not too soft. As they are being shallow fried, they will need to be semi-cooked before hand.
For the dressing, put all the ingredients into a jam jar and shake it up, it’s quite a thick dressing so add a little more olive oil if needed, and play around with the ingredients depending on your taste preference. I was super pleased with the dressing as it was my first attempt using tahini in anything other than hummous and it was so delicious and creamy, we couldn’t get enough of it!
This salad is so versatile and easy, as well as filling. I liked how the different textures and flavours combine, but you could use up anything left in your fridge. Why not add in some homemade hummous or crunchy red pepper, as well as basil and balsamic cherry tomatoes. Whatever you choose, let me know if you give it a try!
