Purple Princess Salad

Ingredients

• 250 g (9 oz) frozen shelled edamame
• ⅓ red cabbage
• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 cucumber
• 3 cooked beetroots (not in vinegar)
• 3 large oranges
• sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the dressing

• 2 lemons
• 2 tablespoons tahini
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

To serve

• nooch (aka nutritional yeast)
• Protein Packed Seed Blend (see below)

For the Protein Packed Seed Blend (makes 1 medium jar)

• 3 tablespoons almonds
• 6 tablespoons pumpkin seeds
• 4 tablespoons sunflower seeds
• 2 tablespoons hemp seeds
• 2 tablespoons chia seeds
• 2 tablespoons flaxseeds
• 3 tablespoons nooch (aka nutritional yeast)
• ½ teaspoon flaky sea salt
• ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Method

To make the salad

Before you start: you will need a high-speed blender.

Prep the veg: Place the edamame in a heatproof bowl, pour over just-boiled water from a kettle to cover and leave for a few minutes to defrost, then drain. Shred the cabbage and add to a bowl with 1 tablespoon of the olive oil and a little salt. Massage the oil into the cabbage with your hands until softened. Finely slice the cucumber into rounds. Cut the beetroot into wedges.

Prep the fruit: Peel the oranges with a small, sharp knife. Next, hold one of the oranges over a bowl and with the knife, carefully cut along the white membrane of each segment to remove the orange slice. Place the orange segments in a bowl, saving any juice. Repeat with the remaining 2 oranges.

Make the dressing: Juice both lemons and add to a blender with half of the beetroot, the tahini, extra-virgin olive oil, and 100 ml (3½ fl oz) water. Season with salt and pepper. Blend until smooth, adding a little extra water, if needed, to make a thick, creamy dressing. Set aside, ideally in a squeezy bottle.

Assemble and serve: Add the edamame, cucumber, and orange (and any juice) to the bowl with the cabbage and toss to combine. Transfer the salad to a serving dish, add the remaining beetroot, drizzle or dollop over the beetroot dressing, then finish with a sprinkling of nooch and the seed blend to serve.

Store: If not serving straight away, store in the fridge in one large or individual containers for up to 2 days. Stir well before serving to redistribute the dressing.

To make the seed blend

Before you start: you will need a medium frying pan and a medium jar.

Prep the blend: Coarsely chop the almonds to roughly the same size as the pumpkin seeds. Heat a medium, dry frying pan over a medium heat until hot. Add the almonds, pumpkin seeds, and sunflower seeds. Toast for 2-3 minutes, tossing the pan occasionally, until the nuts/seeds are slightly golden and starting to pop. Add the hemp seeds, chia, and flaxseeds, and toast for a further 1-2 minutes until light golden.

Combine: Tip the toasted nuts and seeds into a bowl, add the nooch, salt, and pepper, and stir well to combine. Set aside to cool.

Jar up and store: Transfer the cooled nut and seed blend to a jar, label, and put on the lid. Store in a cool place for up to 1 week or 3 months in the fridge. Use the mix to give salad, pasta, and grains more flavour and texture, as well as a nutritional boost.