Hugh's ribboned carrot and quinoa salad
Everyone's got carrots in their fridge – let them be the star of your lunch.
Ingredients
"Quinoa is a grain (technically a seed) that offers ‘complete’ protein, i.e. it has all the amino acids we need," says Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall. "Cook it and cool it ahead of time for this delicious and satisfying salad.
"Tahini makes for a lovely creamy dressing, but if its distinctive taste is not your thing, use peanut butter instead – it also works well."
Ribboned carrot and quinoa salad
Plant count 12, Fibre count 13gReady in 1½ hours including cooling
Serves 3 as a light meal, 4 as part of a sharing spread
150g quinoa
1tsp veg bouillon powder or ½ veg stock cube
1 small-medium red onion, thinly sliced
150g carrots (1 large or 2 small), scrubbed or peeled
Juice of 1 lemon
400g tin lentils, drained, or 250g drained pre-cooked lentils or from a jar/pouch, rinsed and patted dry
35g raisins (optional)
1tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Sea salt and black pepper
For the tahini/peanut butter dressing:
2tbsp tahini or smooth peanut butter
1 small garlic clove, grated
A pinch of dried chilli flakes
Juice of ½ lemon
½tsp soft brown sugar
2tbsp extra virgin olive oil
To finish:
A few hazelnuts, ideally toasted, roughly chopped
A small handful of parsley or chives, chopped
Method
1. Cook the quinoa ahead of time: rinse it thoroughly in a sieve then tip it into a saucepan. Dissolve the bouillon/stock cube in 500 millilitres boiling water and add to the pan. Bring to a simmer and cook, uncovered, for 15 to 20 minutes until all the water is absorbed, then take off the heat and leave the pan covered for 10 minutes.
2. Fluff up the quinoa with a fork, transfer to a bowl and leave to cool completely, 45 to 55 minutes. (Refrigerate if cooking well ahead.)
3. Meanwhile, put the sliced onion into a large bowl. Cut the carrots into ribbons using a veg peeler and drop them straight into the bowl. (You'll be left with a thin stick of carrot, which you can eat, or slice with a knife and add to the salad.) Squeeze over the lemon juice, add a good pinch of salt and mix well. Set aside in a cool place.
4. In the meantime, make the dressing: in a small bowl, mix the tahini or peanut butter with the garlic, chilli flakes, lemon juice, sugar and some salt and pepper. Add the extra virgin olive oil and stir in thoroughly. The dressing may 'seize’ or go grainy, but don’t worry, just whisk in one tablespoon water, and then another, and it will become smooth again. Taste to check the seasoning and adjust as necessary.
5. Stir the lentils through the quinoa and toss in the raisins too, if using. Stir in the one tablespoon extra virgin olive oil and season with salt and pepper.
6. To serve, heap the lentil/quinoa mix onto a large serving plate, or individual plates. Top with the carrot ribbons and onion and trickle over the juice from the bowl. Spoon the tahini dressing generously over the salad, and finish with chopped nuts and a scattering of parsley or chives.
High Fibre Heroes by Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall is published in hardback by Bloomsbury Publishing. Photography by Emma Lee. Available now.
