If you are scratching your head wondering how to wow your family at this year’s Christmas party, stop pondering, there’s a solution! Our favourite plant-eating foodie, Dané Vermeulen, has a fun and festive summer salad up her sleeve. She shares her quick and easy recipe for a plant protein-loaded sparkly vegan salad inspired by a Christmas tree.
A simple, yet mouth-watering salad is always a winner in our books. Leave the gifts for Santa and let this salad recipe bring a whole lot of cheer to the year-end festivities.
“For this festive season, I knew I had to create a fun, easy and tasty recipe that would bring joy to my home,” she says.
“My festive Christmas tree salad is just the thing to get you into the Christmas spirit. It is fun to make with your family and it will wow any person joining your Christmas table this year.”
Bring smiles to the table
We all know it has been a tough couple of years and one thing that always seems to cheer us up is good food. This fun, festive salad packs a flavourful punch and is loaded with chickpeas. This small but mighty plant-based protein falls under the legume family which means they are like meat in nutrients – but with a lower iron content and with no saturated fat.
Legumes are full of antioxidants that prevent cell damage and ageing. This according to Paarl-based nutritionist Lynne MacCallum who says, “Traditionally and culturally meat has always been associated with being a good protein source. But in recent years the production costs have risen and with mass farming practices there is a move towards more sustainable and health-conscious (protein) options. This is where plant-based proteins such as legumes can now shine.”
Drizzle with Vermeulen’s step-by step-recipe for a honey, mustard and lemon vinaigrette.
Not only does it take less than five minutes to prepare, it also makes a fabulous and healthy dressing for any salad. The honey adds a touch of sweetness while the mustard adds a spicy, pungent flavour.
Watch the video for this fun and beautiful salad, and see the recipe below. Merry Christmas!
ALSO READ: Feel fab with these fruity Zola Nene recipes
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Ingredients
- 1 can of chickpeas
- 3 tablespoons of chicken braai masala spice
- 1/2 bag of lettuce
- 1 cup of gooseberries
- 1/2 cup of pomegranate kernels
- 1 medium sized cucumber
- 1 punnet of cherry tomatoes
- Edible glitter
- Olive oil
- 1/2 lemon juice
- Microgreens
- 1 1/2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon vegan mayonnaise
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1/2 lemon juice
- Glitter
Instructions
- Pre-heat your oven to 200 degrees C.
- Drain the can of chickpeas and rinse it with water. Empty into a bowl and add your chicken braai masala spice, lemon juice, salt, pepper and olive oil.
- Give it a good stir, until everything is coated evenly.
- Place your chickpeas in an oven tray, space it out evenly and place it in the oven for 20 min.
- Cut the cucumber in slices and use a small star shaped cookie cutter to cut the slices into star shaped pieces.
- Place the cut-outs in a bowl and coat with glitter. Mix well and set aside.
- Place the cherry tomatoes in a separate bowl, coat it with glitter and mix it well. Repeat the same process for the gooseberries.
- To make the vinaigrette, add the Dijon mustard, vegan mayo, honey, lemon juice, salt and pepper into a bowl and whisk until creamy. Add the glitter to the vinaigrette and mix well.
- Remove the chickpeas from the oven after 20 min.
- Loosen them from the tray and place it back in the oven for 3 min on the grill setting. Remove the chickpeas from the oven when golden brown and crispy.
- To assemble the salad, place a bed of lettuce leaves at the bottom of your salad bowl.
- Add the cucumber cut-outs, cherry tomatoes, gooseberries, chickpeas, pomegranate kernels and the vinaigrette. Top the salad off with microgreens. Enjoy!
