Spring Buddah Bowl

Serves 1

This salad is easy peasy lemon (and tahini and turmeric) squeezy! Brimming with fresh English Spring veggies and the wonder grain that is Freekah. It provides 20g of plant based protein and a massive 63% of my daily fibre intake. And best of all, it takes mere minutes to prepare! If you are not familiar with Freekah yet, then it couldn’t be any easier because it actually also comes in ready to eat pouches so it literally couldn’t be any more convenient when you are short on time. It is high in protein and fibre, as well as B vitamins and Manganese. This whole salad provides 65% of my Vitamin C, 31% of my Vitamin A and 20% Iron requirements for the day — which is fab news for all you vegans out there!

If you don’t have a jar of sauerkraut in your fridge, then your gut is having serious FOMO! As long as it is unpasteurised, it is actually full of beneficial microbes and lactobacillus bacteria, which increase the healthy flora in the intestinal tract. So as strange as it sounds, Sauerkraut aids digestions and really helps the immune system fight infection.

I finish the salad off with a dressing I use on evvvvvverything. Salads, avocados, crudite, roasted veg, steamed veg — you name it, that bright yellow sauce is on it! I have a love affair with turmeric, and it’s not looking like it’s going away anytime soon, so my husband and kids just have to get used to my brightly coloured yellow hands forever more!

INGREDIENTS

For the Salad

· 40g Shelled Edemame
· 4 Big outer leaves of Black Lettuce (you can use any lettuce, I just came across the fresh English black lettuce at my local Greengrocer and was intrigued!)
· 125g Freekah (I use Merchant Gourmet ready to eat pouch)
· 2 Tbsp Sauerkraut
· 40g Sugar Snap Peas
· 40g Peas
· 5 Asparagus spears

For the dressing

· 4 tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
· Juice and rind from 1 Lemon
· 2 tsp Brown Rice Syrup
· 1 tbsp Apple Cider Vinegar
· 50 g Fresh Turmeric Root or 2 tsp Ground Turmeric Powder
· 2 tbsp Light Tahini
· Water to thin as desired

METHOD

· Technically all you need to do is throw all of the ingredients together in a bowl if you are short on time, but I prefer my asparagus lightly griddled first.
· So if you are like me, then brush lightly with some oil and griddle/sauté for a few minutes until starting to brown slightly.
· Assemble the salad and enjoy!

To make the dressing

· If you are feeling daring, use fresh turmeric — peel and drop onto a running blade in a high speed blender.
· Stop the blender and scrape down the sides with a spatula so that the turmeric is at the bottom. If using ground turmeric ten just skip that step!
· Add all of the remaining ingredients and blitz.
· Add water to thin the consistency if too thick.
· Store in an airtight glass jar in the fridge — it will keep for 3 weeks.

Nutritional Information

Calories — 360
Fat — 7g
Carbohydrates — 56g
Protein — 20g
Fibre — 16g (63%)
Vitamin A — 31%
Vitamin C — 65%
Iron — 20%