GLUTEN-FREE CYPRIOT SEED SALAD
A friend made a Cypriot Grain Salad for us recently, which was nutty, fresh and super-wholesome, not to mention fabulously delicious. It was also naturally gluten-free because the freekeh that’s usually in the grain salad was substituted with quinoa.
Late to the party, and with only a little research later, I realised that a Cypriot Grain Salad is a thing of the moment right now, and that there are various recipes around.
Still, I needed to make my own.
So, starting with the quinoa – to be pedantic, a protein-packed seed not a grain - and adding wholesome sunflower seeds and pepitas, lentils and so much more, we now have a Cypriot Seed Salad.
It’s an absolute steal of course. But it had to be done.
Jan
GLUTEN-FREE CYPRIOT SEED SALAD
Serves 8
100 gm quinoa
100 gm Puy lentils or Beluga (black) lentils
40 gm pepitas (hulled pumpkin seeds)
40 gm sunflower seeds
50 gm slivered almonds
50 gm baby capers
80 gm currants
½ red onion, finely diced
1 bunch coriander, chopped
½ bunch parsley, chopped
60 ml extra virgin olive oil
1 lemon, juiced
Sea salt and black pepper to taste
200 gm Greek-style yoghurt
1 tablespoon honey
1 teaspoon cumin seeds, toasted, roughly crushed
1 pomegranate, arils only with pith completely removed
Soak quinoa in cold water for 15 minutes then drain. Add to a saucepan with 1 cup of water and bring to a boil. Cover and simmer gently for 15 minutes until water is absorbed. Remove from the heat. Stand for 10 minutes. Fluff with a fork and allow to cool.
Rinse the lentils, add to a pot with 2 cups of water and bring to the boil. Simmer uncovered for 20-30 or minutes until cooked. Then drain, rinse, drain again and allow to cool.
Heat a small frypan to medium heat and add the pepitas, sunflower seeds and slivered almonds. Toast gently, moving them around to make sure they don’t burn, then transfer to a large bowl to cool.
Add capers, currants, red onion, quinoa and lentils. Stir through the chopped coriander and parsley along with the olive oil and lemon juice. Season to taste, mix well and transfer to a serving dish.
Mix the yoghurt with the honey and cumin seeds until combined. Top the salad with the yoghurt and scatter with pomegranate arils.