Like I often do, I made this dish with vegetables I had in the fridge, some of them scraps from other recipes. I don’t allow anything to go off or unused these days and I see it as a little contribution to the planet and a mark of respect to those having less than me. This salad can be made with pretty much anything you have in your fridge or your larder.
In this case, as in many others it is the little addons like the vegan powder and the sundried tomato dressing that make a basic but nutritious dish delicious also.
Ingredients (serves 4)
- 1 sweet potato, cut in small bit size chunks
- 1 courgette, cut in small bite size chunks
- 1 red onion, thinly sliced
- 125g asparagus, cut in three
- 1 bell pepper, cored and sliced thinly
- 150g frozen or tinned corn
- 150g edamame (substitute with peas)
- 1 tin of butter beans, drained
- 1 tin of cannellini beans, drained
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tbsp vegan bouillon powder
- Some fresh mint or other herbs
- Lemon zest
For the dressing
- 5 sundried tomatoes
- 1 heaped tsp tahini
- 1 garlic clove, finely chopped
- 1 tbsp white wine vinegar
- Lemon juice to taste
- 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Method
Put the olive oil into a sauteing pan and bring to a medium high heat. Add the onion and stir to sweat for a few minutes. Add all the other vegetables apart from the edamame and asparagus. Stir for a few minutes. Add the bouillon powder and 100 ml water. Stir, bring to the boil, cover with a lid, lower the temperature and cook the vegetables for 20 minutes stirring occasionally. Add the drained beans and the asparagus and edamame, season with salt and freshly ground black pepper, stir and cover again and cook until the vegetables are cooked but firm.
To make the sundried tomato dressing, put all the ingredients in the jug of a stick blender and blitz, adding cold water to thin as required. Season and keep to the side until needed.
When serving, spoon over the dressing over the vegetables, sprinkle with fresh mint or other fresh herbs and drizzle with a little more extra virgin olive oil and lemon zest. If you have any dressing left, keep in the fridge and use to flavour casseroles, salads or soups.