Nutty Super-food Salad

It is so much easier to eat healthily in the Summer I find. I actually crave salad, whereas in the Winter I crave stodge. Occasionally I pick up lunch on my way home from work, before I pick up the kids. Unfortunately, in my line of work, your job is to cook other people lunch, not cook or eat your own! Marks and Spencer is probably best for ready-made salads. Although I know that Waitrose also do quite and extensive range. Most of the ones I have tried, may sound nice, but are usually disgusting. They always seem to try just a bit too hard, chucking in any combination of trendy ingredients – black quinoa seeds, Camargue red rice, cranberries, amaranth leaf, black barley -  and the dressings are always really nasty – too much Japanese rice vinegar and Yuzu!. 

The other day I bought a selection of two different salads, both which unannounced contained seaweed!  Surely if you are going to add seaweed to your salad, you would mention it in the name, not just hidden in a long list of ingredients which are far too small to read with human eyes. Well my eyes anyway. I couldn’t work out what this slimy, sort "off-fishy" taste was in my salad. Narrowed it down to the Wakame which was eventually mentioned in the list of 30 ingredients, now that I had been forced to put my reading glasses on. I even like seaweed, on say nori rolls, where it is meant to be, but this was disgusting and both pots of salad ended up in the bin. 

However, I am pleased to say, after much trial and error, I finally found a ready-made salad that I really liked. Marks and Spencer Nutty Superfood Salad. Featuring green beans, peas, broccoli, carrots, black-eyed beans and quinoa plus peanuts, almonds and pistachios, it is absolutely packed with delicious ingredients. It comes two ways, either on its own or served alongside a dollop of cannellini bean hummus and with a soy and ginger dressing. 

It may seem like a lot of ingredients, but it is super easy. Make up a large batch and dress it as required. What is so fab about making it yourself, is you don’t have to skimp on your favourite expensive ingredients, which inevitably the supermarkets always do!

Nutty Super-food Salad

To serve 4

2 Broccoli florets, shredded

1 Handful of peas

100g French beans, cut into 1 inch pieces

1 large carrot, finely chopped

100g spelt (wheatberries, barley or farro) you can buy ready cooked

100g soya beans

200g cooked black eye beans (or another type of bean – haricot, cannallini)

50g quinoa (You can buy ready cooked)

1 tsp. poppy seeds

1 handful pumpkin seeds

1 handful peanuts

1 handful pistachios

1 handful almonds

A little freshly chopped coriander

For the dressing, mix together:

2 tbsp. soy

1 tsp grated ginger

1 tsp sesame

1 tsp honey

Juice ½ lime

½ tsp. chilli paste

Put three pans of water on to boil. In the first add the quinoa. Cook 12-15 minutes until all the quinoa has gone squiggly. Drain well. In the second add the farro, cook for 20-30 minutes until tender. Drain well. In the third pan, add a pinch of salt and then the green beans. When cooked, add the shredded broccoli, bring back to the boil and add the peas and soya beans. Bring back to the boil and drain. Drain well.

Combine the salad ingredients.

Mix the dressing ingredients together and drizzle over each portion or alternatively, toss through the entire lot in a large bowl.

Spicy Chipotle Maple Roast Sweet Potato and Brussel Sprout Grain Bowls

Do you know what a “Grain Bowl” is? No, neither did I. Turns out it is a quick and easy, one-dish meal, which contains among other things, one or a variety of grains. In England I guess this is just called “Lunch” but in America, where they simply have to invent a name for everything, they are very big, as part of a healthy, well-balanced diet .

The basic idea is you pick a grain – brown rice, Freekeh, quinoa, Farro or couscous.

Add salad or leafy greens – anything from raw kale, spinach, rocket, radicchio or salad leaves. (Not too much apparently, as then it is a salad and not a grain bowl!)

Add cooked seasonal vegetables– roast beetroot, squash, sweet potato, cauliflower, broccoli or Brussel sprouts for example.

Add protein – fish, chicken, beans, chickpeas, edamame or an egg, poached, fried or hard boiled.

Add dressing or a sauce – a basic vinaigrette or a themed dressing such as Asian, Moroccan or Thai. Use ingredients such as Harissa, curry pastes stirred into yogurt or mayonnaise, coconut milk, miso and lots of herbs and spices.

Add garnishes – toasted nuts, seeds, crumbled cheese, avocado, broad beans or crispy bacon.

So as you can see, the possibilities are endless. My fridge though is packed with sweet potatoes and Brussel sprouts from my weekly veg box, so this seemed a good place to start.

My choice of grain was cous cous although I am a great fan of Farro too. I am off quinoa ever since I discovered that it comes with a heavy environmental footprint. Due to the huge rise in demand, Bolivians can no longer afford to buy Quinoa, as its price is now so over inflated, and as a result they are starving. The demand has also resulted in decreased soil fertility and erosion due to over farming. I don’t know all the ins and outs, but quite frankly I can survive without it. For those who require a gluten free option, try the less popular, and therefore less destructive, Amaranth. But for now Quinoa, along with unsustainable Palm Oil, which is threatening the future of Orangutans, has joined my list of avoided products.

My sauce is based on the Spanish Adobo sauce. It turns up all over the Americas too, in various guises. I opted for a smoked Chipotle chilli, which is my favourite and ready available, and I was really pleased with the outcome. The combination of chilli, garlic, ginger and cumin is one that I use so often, that I know that I will be using this recipe all the time. In fact, I used it again this week in my Spicy Sweet Potato and Bean Burgers.



I have never tried roasting Brussel sprouts before. I never thought they would work, but I was wrong. The combination of the Brussel sprouts roast with sweet potato, maple syrup and my home made Adobo sauce was enough to convince me that I will be making this again too.

Finally, my garnish was Crispy Roast Chickpeas. They are an old favourite, though I have never used them in a "Grain Bowl" before. Up until now I just put them on a salad!

Adobe Sauce
4 or 5 Smoked Chipotle Chillies (soaked in water)
Large knob of ginger
2 cloves garlic (peeled)
2 tsp ground cumin
½ tsp salt
2-3 tbsp olive oil
Peel the ginger by scrapping off the skin with a teaspoon, roughly chop and put together with all the other ingredients. Whiz up with a hand blender. Add a little water if necessary to get a smooth paste.



Spicy Chipotle Maple Roast Sweet Potato and Brussel Sprout Grain Bowls.
200g Brussel sprouts, stems trimmed and cut in half
1 tablespoon maple syrup
1 teaspoon Adobo sauce (more if you like it spicy)
½ small sweet potato, peeled and cut into 1 cms chunks
Sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon coconut oil
100g whole wheat couscous
Wild Rocket
½ lemon
Extra virgin olive oil
1 tbsp Mayonnaise (leave out for vegans)
1 tsp Adobo sauce
 Crispy Roast Chickpeas

Preheat the oven 200C. Line a baking sheets with parchment paper. Toss the Brussel Sprouts and sweet potato with the maple syrup, Adobo, a little salt and pepper and coconut oil. (If you keep your coconut oil in the fridge like I do you might want to melt it in the microwave for a minute or two.) Spread on the sheet. You can add your chickpeas (see recipe below) at the same time. Check the veg and chickpeas regularly and move round the trays if necessary to ensure even cooking. The Brussel sprouts are done when they are turning golden brown and beginning to caramelise.

Meanwhile put your cous cous in a bowl with a little salt and olive oil. Mix well and cover with boiling water. Leave to sit for 15 minutes.

Make a dressing from the juice from the lemon, some olive oil and a pinch of salt. Whisk well. Dress your salad leaves with the lemon dressing and put in the bottom of your bowl. Next fluff up your cous cous with a fork and add the roast vegetables. Check seasoning and pile on top of the rocket, finally scatter the roasted chickpeas on top. Mix the mayonnaise with a little more Adobo sauce and let it down with water until you have the consistency of single cream. Drizzle over the salad.

Show Time!

The Allotment "Annual Show" is drawing near and even though I have grown nothing even half good enough to enter, I already feel a vague sense of panic. If I had know the format of "show enteries" I may have applied some purpose to my haphazard and ramshackle, random planting. For example the "Melville Cup" - Best Collection of Vegetables which requires three items from the following list

• THREE carrots with 75mm (3in) top foliage
• SIX French Beans with stalks attached
• THREE onions
• SIX peas with stalks attached
• THREE runner Beans with stalks attached
• SIX tomatoes with stalks attached, any variety

The only item I could get even close to is the tomatoes, although mine are still totally green and unlikely to ripen in time for next weekend.  My French beans are unpredictable, my peas are all finished and I am assuming that the emphasis on "stalks attached" is to prevent you from supplementing the odd category with a little produce from the local supermarket.

My chances with the next Class - "the collection of THREE distinct salad vegetables in groups of three" is no better. From the list

• Beetroot, cabbage, celeriac, celery, chicory, cucumber, endive, Florence fennel, kohl rabi, lettuce, onions, spring onion, potatoes, radishes, sweet peppers, tomatoes and turnips 

I have only managed to grow five of the named salad vegetables and the stress of worrying whether any of them, let alone three of them, may be in "show condition" on the day is really too much - I mean THREE cucumbers or THREE Florence fennel - which must be "even-sized, unblemished and undamaged" is just not going to happen - well, not this year anyway.

Even in the photography competition I fear I do not really have one photo which recapitulates "Life on the Plot" in its entirety.

Next I contemplated the "John Grey Cup for Home Produce" and my options from the list

Unless stated use your own recipe
ONE jar of marmalade, made in the past 12 months
ONE jar of chutney, made in the last 12 months
ONE jar of soft fruit jam, made in the last 12 monts
SIX pieces of shortbread
SIX rock cakes
Victoria sponge - using the following recipe and an 18cm (7inch) cake tin:
110g (4oz) butter or margarine
110g (4oz) caster sugar
110g (4oz) self-raising flour
2 eggs
3-4 drops vanilla essence
Jam for the filling

Although I do have a selection of home made jams, marmalades and chutneys on my shelves, I have failed to label any of them and have no idea which of them were made in the last 12 months. Shocked by my failure in this basic house keeping practice, I feel almost compelled to make amends by baking a perfect Victoria Sponge but I have no 7inch cake tin and besides, it is not exactley the most inspiring recipe. Surely no one has used margarine in a cake since the end of rationing after the Second World War!

So finally, the only option left to me is the Best Trug Display until I notice that not only is my trug the wrong size BUT the display must include vegetables, fruit, herbs and flowers and since I don't have any fruit (since rhubarb is classified as a vegetable) or flowers, I do not qualify! Never mind. Next year!

In the meantime I am proud to say that I have managed to grow something apart from courgettes. This is my Borlotti Bean harvest and I think there is actually enough for one small meal! These beans are delicious with so many things but especially fish (Red Mullet, Scallops or Sea Bass), Meat (Roast Lamb or Bacon) or with braised bitter green vegetables like Cicoria or dark leafy greens such as Cavalo Nero. (I am very proud to say that I grew the Cavalo Nero as well.) Here is one of my favorite recipes from The River Cafe.

Pan-fried Scallops, Borlotti Beans, Braised Cavalo Nero and Anchovy and Rosemary Sauce

Fresh beans will take about 45 minutes to cook, but you're more likely to get dried beans, they are cheap and very reliable to cook. However, they will need soaking for at least 12 hours.

For the beans:
300g dried Borlotti or cannellini beans, soaked in cold water for at least 12 hours
3 cloves garlic, peeled
A few sprigs fresh thyme
A sprig fresh rosemary
3 bay leaves
Extra-virgin olive oil

For the Scallops:
12 scallops

For the Cavalo Nero:
1 head Cavalo Nero
Couple of good glugs of Extra Virgin Olive oil
3 cloves of garlic 

If using dried beans then drain the soaked beans, then give them a good wash. Place them in a deep pot and cover them with cold water. Throw in the garlic, herb sprigs and bay leaves. Place the beans on the heat and slowly bring to the boil. Cover with a lid and simmer very gently for 45 minutes to an hour, depending on whether you're using fresh or dried, until soft and cooked nicely. Skim if necessary, topping up with boiling water from the kettle if you need to.

When the beans are cooked, drain them in a colander, reserving enough of the cooking water to cover them halfway up when put back in the pot. Remove the herbs from the beans. Mush up the garlic cloves and stir back into the beans. Season well with salt and pepper, and pour in 3 generous glugs of extra-virgin olive oil. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper and reduce until slightly creamy and delicious.

Strip the Cavalo from its stems.  Blanch in a large pan of boiling salted water for about 3 minutes.  Remove and leave to cool preferably on a dry tea towel, spread out flat.  When cool, squeeze out the excess water with the tea towel.  Roughly chop.  Very thinly slice a few cloves of garlic and fry in a large frying pan with some good olive oil until light brown.  Add the Cavalo, stir well and cook for a further minute or two. Season with a little sea salt and freshly ground pepper

Season the Scallops with a little salt and freshly ground pepper. Fry them in a hot frying pan with a little sunflower oil.  Cook them on one side for a few minutes until toasted, golden brown and fry then turn them over, leave for a minute and turn off the frying-pan. Pile a little Cavalo Nero onto your plate, scatter with the warm home-cooked beans and a little of the juices and finally top with the scallops. Drizzle with Anchovy and Rosemary Sauce.

Anchovy and Rosemary Sauce

2 tbsp. fresh young rosemary leaves, very finely chopped
12 anchovy fillets
Juice of 1 lemon
150mls very good extra-virgin olive oil

Place rosemary leaves in a mortar and grind as finely as possible. Add anchovy fillets and grind to a paste. Add lemon juice, mix well, and then, stirring constantly, add oil, a few drops at a time. Transfer sauce to a small bowl.