The ultimate salad

This works equally well as a meal on its own or as a side with most meats. I usually have it with lamb kebabs or chicken. Feel free to experiment and add in any of your own must-have ingredients.

Serves 2

Ingredients

• 100g/½ cup plus 1½ tbsp quinoa
• 1 medium red onion, chopped
• Juice of 1 lime
• 140g/5 oz cherry tomatoes, halved
• 80g/2/3 cup mixed olives, pitted
• 120g/4¼ oz roasted red peppers (from a jar), diced
• Handful of coriander (cilantro), finely chopped
• 150g/1 cup tinned black (turtle) beans, drained weight
• 100g/¾ cup tinned chickpeas (garbanzo beans), drained weight
• 50g/scant 1 cup sun-dried tomatoes from a jar, chopped, and 1 tbsp of the oil
• 50g/1¾ oz feta, diced
• 30g/1oz jalapeños from a jar, sliced
• 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• Himalayan salt and ground black pepper

To serve

• Lemon wedges
• 75g/2½ oz gluten-free corn chips

Method

1. Cook the quinoa according to the packet instructions. Put the onion in a small bowl, add the lime juice and set aside to marinate for 1 hour.

2. Put all the other ingredients in a large mixing bowl, add the marinated onion, stir together and season. Serve with a wedge of lemon and a side bowl of corn chips.

Tips and notes

The longer you leave the onion to marinate, the better, as it becomes softer and sweeter.

From Coconut Oil: Recipes for Real Life. Recipe text © 2016 Lucy Bee Limited.