Recipe of the Week!
Fennel and Corn Quinoa Salad
INGREDIENTS:
45g of quinoa (1/4 cup)
1 avocado
1 small fennel
1 red pepper
1 tin sweetcorn, drained (about 165g)
A dozen broad bean pods
Juice of 2 lemons
1 tablespoons of dried thyme
Large handful of fresh dill, chopped
Large handful of pomegranate seeds
Handful of pine nuts
Olive Oil
Salt and pepper to taste
METHOD:
Pre-heat oven to 200C.
A few hours before you make this dish cut the fennel into thin strips, place these in a bowl with the juice of 1 squeezed lemon, salt and two tablespoons of olive oil. Keep the bowl in the fridge until you’re ready to eat it. This process softens the fennel while also decreasing its aniseed flavour by allowing it to soak up the zesty lemon and gentle olive oil flavours.
Next prepare your sweet corn and pine nuts by spreading them out on a baking tray and mixing with a good drizzle of olive oil and a sprinkle of salt. Bake them for 5-10 minutes until golden brown.
Once you’re ready to eat cook the quinoa. Simply place the grain in a saucepan and fill with 2 cups of boiling water, a sprinkling of salt and a drizzling of lemon juice. Then allow it to boil for 12-15 minutes until the grains are soft and delicious but not too gluey and stuck together. You may need to add more water to the pan as it cooks, so keep an eye on it.
While the quinoa cooks cut the red pepper, remove the seedy inside and then slice into thin cubes. Place these in a bowl. Next cut the avocado into cubes, discarding the skin and the stone. Add the avocado to the red pepper and pour in the sweet corn and pine nuts.
For the beans you need to shell them, remove the beans and place these in a steamer for five minutes. Then pop the beans out of their skin and add them to the pepper, avocado and corn.
Squeeze the rest of the lemon and pour this over the vegetables along with the thyme, chopped dill and salt. Once the quinoa is cooked and has cooled for a few minutes add it to the bowl along with the fennel. Mix everything together, add the pomegranate seeds then sprinkle some leftover dill over the top and some optional roasted nuts. Serve, eat and enjoy!
