Autumn Veg Salad (In a Lemon and Tahini Dressing)

It is just a few days until the clocks go back and it is the end of British summertime. While we are looking forward to an extra hour of sleep, it can feel like a small amount of comfort compared to the dark mornings and evenings ahead. As we prepare to spend more time indoors with the heating on, there is some wonderful veg taking root outside that will be at its tastiest as morning frosts begin (such as kale, sprouting broccoli, carrots and turnips). This is exciting news, especially for those of us who enjoy a raw salad, even in the dead of winter. 

The vegetables in this salad are in season at the moment, but I suspect the radishes will not be making another appearance in our veg bags any time soon. That is ok, they can be substituted with spring onions. If you are not a seasoned raw foodie, then some of the veg can feel a little overpowering. If so, try replacing carrot for the beetroot and baby spinach for the chard . We like to include sprouts in our meals and in this salad we used sprouted sunflower seeds. If you can't get your hands on sprouted seeds, regular raw seeds are also delicious and add a whole host of nutritional awesomeness. For an added iron kick, throw in some pumpkin seeds as well. Parsley was in our veg bag, so that is what we used, coriander and mint would be great alternatives, or go for a tasty variation with a combination of all three.

Please see video at bottom of the page for how we made it.

Ingredients:

Lemon Tahini Dressing:

• 2 X tbsp tahini
• Juice of 1 lemon
• 2 X tbsp olive oil
• 2 X tbsp water (optional)
• 1 X tsp salt

Method:

• Whisk all ingredients until smooth. If not used immediately the sauce can become quite thick, if it does, just add a little water (1 tbsp at a time) and whisk. We have a small whisk, but a fork works just as well.

Salad:

• 3 - 4 radishes
• 1 medium beetroot (we used golden, but red is just as tasty)
• 1 small bunch of parsley (50g)
• 1 bunch of swiss chard (200g)
• 1/2 cup sprouted sunflower seeds

Method:

• Shred the radish and cabbage on the largest grating holes on a box grater and place in a large salad bowl
• Finely dice the parsley
• Slice the swiss chard into ribbons
• Add the sprouts, mix all ingredients, pour over the dressing and mix again to coat the veg.
• Alternatively, place the parsley in a food processor fitted with the S blade and process to a coarse chop. Remove the S blade and fit the grater blade and run the beetroot and radish through. Chop the chard by hand and add all ingredients to a large mixing bowl and continue as above.