This recipe is taken from The Giraffe Family Cookcook by Hugo Arnold (Weidenfeld & Nicholson, £14.99). With lots of fresh vegetables, a little cheese for protein and Giraffe's famous house dressing, this is a summer salad with crunch, attitude and colour.
Ingredients
200g feta cheese, sliced
1 teaspoon fresh oregano leaves
Olive oil
200g broccoli, broken into florets
500g quinoa
100 sugar snaps
1x400g tin borlotti beans, well rinsed and drained
1 avocado, destoned and diced
4 handfuls rocket, washed
2 handfuls baby spinach
1 punnet cherry tomatoes, halved
4 tablespoons Herby House Dressing (see below)
1 tablespoon mixed toasted pumpkin and sesame seeds
For the Herby House Dressing
1 tablespoon fresh basil, chopped
1 teaspoon fresh oregano, chopped
1 teaspoon fresh tarragon, chopped
4 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
Salt and pepper
Whisk all ingredients together.
Method
Combine the feta cheese with the oregano, a few grinds of black pepper and enough olive oil to cover. This will keep for several days in the fridge. Blanch the broccoli in plenty of salted water for three minutes or until tender. Drain and refresh under cold water. Cook the quinoa according to the instructions on the packet. Toss the broccoli with the quinoa, vegetables, herby house dressing and a seasoning of salt and pepper. Scatter over the cherry tomatoes, feta and toasted seeds and check seasoning.
