Quinoa Salad with Loomi

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 37 minutes
Total Time: 52 minutes

Ingredients:

  • 2 medium sweet potatoes (about 350g each)
  • 7 tbsp olive oil
  • Salt and black pepper
  • 200g mixed basmati and wild rice
  • 200g quinoa
  • 4 garlic cloves, peeled and very thinly sliced
  • 3 tbsp shredded sage leaves
  • 3 tbsp roughly chopped fresh oregano leaves
  • 2 tbsp ground black lime (loomi)
  • 6 tbsp shredded fresh mint
  • 1 tsp lemon juice
  • 160g feta, broken into chunks
  • 4 spring onions, green part only, thinly sliced, plus extra to garnish

Preparation:

Preheat the oven to 200C/400F/gas mark 6. Peel the sweet potatoes and cut roughly into 2cm dice. Spread on an oven tray lined with greaseproof paper, drizzle with half the oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast for 20-25 minutes, until tender.

Meanwhile, cook the rice as per the packet instructions. Put the quinoa in a pan with lots of boiling water and simmer for 10 minutes. Drain into a fine sieve and leave to dry. Put the cooked and dry (but still warm) rice and quinoa in a large mixing bowl.

Heat the remaining oil in a small frying pan, then fry the garlic for 30 seconds, or until it turns light golden. Add the sage and oregano, and fry, stirring, for about a minute – make sure the herbs and garlic don’t burn.

Tip the contents of the pan over the rice and quinoa, then stir in the roasted sweet potato and its oil. Add the dried lime, mint, spring onion, lemon juice, feta and salt and pepper, toss together gently, taking care not to mush up the sweet potato and feta, taste and adjust the seasoning. Serve warmish, or at room temperature, garnished with spring onion.