I don’t remember my 4-year-old birthday party. And I suppose Elsa won’t either, a few years from now. But that doesn’t mean it wasn’t a good one. Somehow, our little monkey turned 4 yesterday. It was a happy day. The kind that ends in tears because she was so sad that it was over.
She is currently obsessed with rainbows, so for a short while we had an ambitious plan to bake a rainbow cake, colored with natural fruit juices – strawberry red, mango yellow, kiwi green, blueberry blue, you get the idea. But we soon realized that we didn’t have time to be that kind of perfect parents. Not this year anyway. I still kind of like the idea, perhaps someone else feels like following through on it?
My family came over for dinner and Luise prepared this salad along with a fattoush salad and a piece of sourdough bread for the occasion. I suppose the salad actually turned out a bit rainbow inspired, even if we didn’t plan for it to be. It keeps fresh for hours, which makes it perfect for buffet, picnics and travels. There are an array of different textures and flavors in there – crunchy beets, apples and walnuts that goes so well together with soft baked endives and fennels, avocados, mache and goat’s cheese. Quinoa and chickpeas makes it filling and satisfying enough for dinner. It truly is a salad for celebrations.
Another thing we wanted to celebrate is that our book finally also is available in Swedish. Look for it in bookstores all over Sweden or get it online. We are giving away 5 signed copies on our facebook page, so head on over there to enter the give-away.
We will be cooking a few recipes from our book in the morning show on Swedish TV4 on Sunday (9th March). So if you live in Sweden, tune in on Sunday morning if you want to see us acting all nervous on national television.
Chioggia Beet, Endive & Quinoa Rainbow Salad
Serves 6
1 cup /250 ml / 190 g uncooked quinoa (any color), rinsed (3 cups cooked)
6 endives or/and fennel, cut in quarters or halves
1 drizzle honey, preferable unheated
1 drizzle cold-pressed olive oil or coconut oil
1 tsp sea salt
1 handful raw walnuts
2 cups / 500 ml / 600 g cooked chickpeas/garbamzo beans (if using canned, rinse well and drain)
2 apples, thinly sliced
4 raw chioggia beets, or any color, thinly sliced
4 large tomatoes (we used green ruffle tomatoes), thinly sliced
2 cups / 100 g mache salad greens or any lettuce of your choice, rinsed
2 avocadoes, stone removed and sliced
200 g / 7 oz organic goat’s cheese, crumbled
Dressing
2 tbsp cold-pressed olive oil or cold-pressed rapeseed oil
2 tbsp lemon juice and zest from half an organic lemon
2 tbsp honey, preferable unheated
a pinch sea salt & black pepper
Preheat the oven to 175°C / 350°F. Place the rinsed quinoa in a saucepan, add 2 cups water, a pinch of salt and bring to boil. Lower the heat immediately to medium/low and let gently simmer for 15-20 minutes. Set aside to cool. Place the divided endives and fennel on a baking sheet (reserve some space for the walnuts), drizzle with honey and olive oil. Bake in the oven for 20 minutes, depending on the size of the endives and the oven, until soft, golden and with slightly crispy edges. A few minutes before the endives are done, carefully place the walnuts on the baking sheet with some salt on top, toast them, turning halfway. Prepare the rest of the ingredients and stir together the dressing ingredients.
Assembling the salad: Place the cooked quinoa, chickpeas (garbanzo beans), apple slices, beet slices, tomato slices, mache greens, avocado slices and dressing in a large serving bowl. Toss well to combine. Tuck in the baked endives and fennels and scatter with toasted walnuts and goat’s cheese. Serve with this bread or wholegrain sourdough bread and organic butter.
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PS! Three years ago we were here!
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