Feel free to substitute in your favourite grain and salad vegetables in this recipe. Whatever you choose, this tasty salad bowl is a perfect option for a healthy lunch.
Serves four. Preparation time: 40 minutes.
Ingredients
4 chicken breasts
4 eggs
100g farro (or quinoa, barley, or brown rice )
Half a cucumber, deseeded and thinly sliced
2 avocados, peeled and sliced
2 roasted red peppers, sliced
2 heads baby gem lettuce, roughly torn
1 small red onion, very finely sliced
4 teasp. toasted sesame seeds
For the marinade:
2 tablesp rapeseed or olive oil
1 teasp. ground cumin
0.5 teasp cayenne pepper
400g tin of chickpeas, drained, rinsed and patted dry
For the dressing:
Handful of parsley leaves, finely chopped
Handful of mint leaves, finely chopped
3 tablesp olive oil
3 tablesp fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon honey
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Method
To make the marinade: In a medium sized bowl mix together the oil, cumin, and cayenne pepper. Place the chickpeas in another bowl, then stir through half the spice mixture. Add the chicken breasts into the bowl with the remaining spice mixture and mix to combine.
Cook the farro as per packet instructions.
To cook the chickpeas: Heat a large frying pan over a medium heat and add in the chickpeas. Cook, shaking occasionally, until golden brown and crisp. This will take six to eight minutes. Transfer to paper towels and season with a little salt.
To cook the chicken: Add a little oil to the pan and cook the chicken breasts for four or five minutes on each side or until cooked through.
To cook the eggs: Place the eggs in a saucepan of cold water and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat to simmer. Cook for five minutes. Remove from the heat and run under cold water to stop the cooking process. The yolks will be soft at this stage. If you prefer your eggs more cooked, allow to cook for seven minutes.
To make the dressing: Combine all the dressing ingredients. Mix until smooth. Taste and season. You can adjust the amount of olive oil if you want a more liquid dressing.
To assemble the bowls: Toss the farro with half the dressing in a large bowl. Then divide it among four serving bowls. Slice the cooked chicken then arrange it on top of the grain in the serving bowls along with the cucumber, avocados, red peppers, and lettuce. Halve the eggs and add them to the bowls along with chickpeas, red onion, and sesame seeds. Drizzle the remaining dressing over the assembled salads and serve immediately.
