The Good Life Salad

Words Shirin Kouros & Yasmine Larizadeh

Serves 4

INGREDIENTS: 

Salad:

• 200g Puy lentils
• 2–3 sweet potatoes (750g), peeled and cubed
• 1 tbsp olive oil, plus extra for roasting
• sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 5–6 handfuls of kale (300g), stalks removed and leaves chopped into small pieces
• ½ pomegranate, kernels removed
• 150g cooked red or black quinoa (optional)
• 60g walnuts, chopped
• 2 tbsp nutritional yeast flakes

Orange and Tahini Dressing:

• finely grated zest of 1 large orange
• juice of 2 oranges
• 100g tahini
• 75ml olive oil
• salt and freshly ground black pepper

METHOD:

1 Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/ Gas mark 4. Put the lentils in a saucepan and add 600ml water to cover the lentils completely. Bring to the boil then reduce the heat and simmer for 25 minutes, or until tender. Drain in a colander and run under cold water to stop the cooking process, then leave to cool. Set aside.

2 Put the sweet potatoes into a large bowl, add the olive oil, salt and pepper and toss well until the sweet potatoes are coated. Transfer the sweet potatoes to a roasting tin and roast in the hot oven for 15–20 minutes. Leave to cool.

3 To make the dressing, put all the ingredients into a blender and blitz until smooth or whisk by hand. Set aside.

4 Put the chopped kale leaves into a large bowl, add 1 tablespoon olive oil, and using your hands, massage the oil into the kale.

5 Once the sweet potato and lentils have cooled, add them to the kale then add the pomegranate kernels. If using quinoa, add this now.

6 Pour in 150ml of the dressing, or to your liking, and toss until everything is coated in the dressing.Top with the chopped walnuts and nutritional yeast flakes and serve.