Using spelt for this salad is a cheap way to bulk up the dish and keep you fuller for longer. Spelt is such an easy grain to cook, it requires no soaking and takes on any flavor you add to it. I love the nutty flavor and chewy texture of the grain, which goes really well with the fresh tomatoes in this recipe. I picked cauliflower and sweet potato for this dish because I love them both roasted, but they can be quite expensive. If you want to keep costs down, roast some carrots in place of the sweet potato. Only half the cauliflower is used in this recipe which allows it to be stretched over two meals. But a cheaper alternative would be to roast some sliced cabbage which is so delicious with turmeric, or looking in the reduced section of the store for bargains.
The salad is dressed with a tangy lemon and mustard dressing, which is added to the spelt grain when it is still warm and packs loads of flavor into the dish. This dressing recipe is so simple and way more delicious than a store-bought dressing. You can double the recipe and keep some in the fridge to add to other dishes throughout the week.
I love serving this dish with a spoonful of hummus for some protein. This salad would be delicious with the addition of toasted nuts or seeds for a different source of protein.
YIELDS
6 servings
PREP TIME
COOK TIME
TOTAL TIME
- 1/2 Large cauliflower (or 1 small one)
- 1 Sweet Potato
- 1 Red Bell Pepper
- 2 tablespoons Vegetable Oil
- 200g Spelt Grain
- 500 ml Vegetable Stock
- 50g Spinach
- 12 Cherry Tomatoes
- 2 teaspoons Sea Salt
- 1 teaspoon Black Peper
- 2 teaspoons Dijon Mustard
- 1 Lemon
- 2 tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 1/2 teaspoon Dried Mixed Herbs
- 1 teaspoon Smoked Paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon Turmeric
- 1/2 teaspoon Ground Cumin
Directions
1. Pre-heat the oven to 225°C.
2. Cut the cauliflower into bite-sized florets.
3. Put the cauliflower onto a baking tray and coat with 1 tablespoon vegetable oil, turmeric, cumin and a pinch of salt and pepper.
4. Cut the sweet potato into cubes and slice the red pepper.
5. Put the sweet potato and pepper onto a baking tray and coat with the remaining 1 tablespoon vegetable oil, smoked paprika and a pinch of salt and pepper.
6. Put both trays in the oven and roast for 40 minutes or until tender.
7. While the veg is roasting, cook the spelt. Add the vegetable stock and spelt to a saucepan, bring to the boil then reduce the heat and simmer for 30 minutes or until cooked through.
8. For the dressing, put the zest and juice of a lemon, mustard and olive oil into a jar with a well-fitting lid. Add in the dried herbs along with 1/2 teaspoon salt and a pinch of black pepper. Shake the jar to combine the dressing, it should emulsify and be a creamy yellow color.
9. Roughly chop the spinach and cut the cherry tomatoes in half.
10. Drain the spelt and add to a large bowl with the roast veg and dressing. Stir to coat everything in the dressing. If you are serving this straight away, add spinach and tomatoes. If you are serving this salad later, wait for the grains to cool before adding the spinach and tomatoes.
Also by Katharine: Vegan Zucchini & Roasted Lemon Pasta
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Photo: Katharine Hopkins
