Carrot and seed salad

This easy carrot and seed salad is a great mix of crunchy, sweet and sour, and an excellent side dish to have up your sleeve.

I think I’ve made this salad at least 50 times. It sure feels like it anyhow, and I never get sick of it. This is a dish I turn to when I’m running low on fresh veg, but need to come up with something fresh and healthy to complete a meal.

Got no coriander? Use parsley. Got no spring onions? Leave them out. Got no almonds? Use more pumpkin seeds. You get it, it’s a flexible recipe with the important part being the core ingredients of carrot, seeds and nuts in a sweet and sour cumin spiced dressing. A little something green is a nice inclusion, but not strictly necessary.

Today I made this carrot and seed salad to have with falafel, pita pockets and a spinach salad for a healthy weeknight meal.

It’s also great as a bbq side dish or pot luck plate because it goes with almost anything. If you’re the token veg*n in attendance, you also know that even if there’s only lettuce and bread rolls on offer you’ll be satisfied with a big pile of this on your plate. Salad it may be, but it’s a filling and crunchy one, with a respectable amount of protein.

I recently learned that pumpkin seeds (pepitas) are the highest plant-based source of iron too, which makes me like this salad even more. One serve of this nutritious salad has 13 per cent of your daily iron needs, and 155 per cent of your daily vitamin A needs (wow!).

Carrot and seed salad

This easy salad is a great mix of crunchy, sweet and sour, and an excellent side dish to have up your sleeve.

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Prep time: 10 minutes

Cook time: 5 minutes

Total time: 15 minutes

Course: Salads and dressings

Cuisine: Vegan

Servings: 4

Author: Quite Good Food

INGREDIENTS

For the dressing:

• 1 tbsp brown rice syrup or maple syrup or honey
• 1 tbsp rice bran oil or oil of your choice
• 3 tbsp Japanese rice vinegar or apple cider vinegar
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• Salt and pepper

For the salad:

• 3 carrots peeled and grated
• 1/4 cup pumpkin seeds
• 1/4 cup sunflower seeds
• 1/4 cup almonds roughly chopped
• 2 spring onions thinly sliced (scallions)
• Large handful coriander finely chopped (cilantro)

INSTRUCTIONS

• Mix dressing ingredients together, taste and add salt and pepper to your liking. If you're using brown rice syrup or honey I'd suggest warming/melting it to make it easier to mix with the other dressing ingredients.
• Toast your seeds and nuts over a medium heat in a dry frypan, until golden brown. Do these one type at a time, as they have different cooking times.
• Mix all salad ingredients, and dressing, in a large bowl and refrigerate until ready to serve.
• Serves 4 as a side dish.

NUTRITION INFORMATION

Carbohydrates: 13.3g | Protein: 4.7g | Fat: 11.9g | Fiber: 2.7g | Vitamin A: 7750IU | Iron: 2.3mg

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