Purple sprouting broccoli, blood orange and lentils, with mustard and tarragon dressing
This winter dish is particularly high in Vitamin C, K, fibre and antioxidants like anthocyanins. It also provides plant-based iron, magnesium and heart healthy fats from nuts and olive oil.
THE SECRET INGREDIENT:
Mustard. High in myrosinase, to enhance sulforophane; good for digestion and heart health, sulforophane is found in broccoli but reduced by cooking it.
Serves: 2
Ingredients
For the Salad:
200g purple sprouting broccoli
½ tbsp olive oil if roasting the broccoli
160g cooked dark or green lentils (drained weight - from a tin or pack is fine to use)
30g mixed winter salad leaves, baby spinach or watercress
2 blood oranges, peeled and sliced (reserve any juice)
30g toasted nuts, e.g., walnuts or hazelnuts, roughly chopped (optional)
For the dressing (to start with):
1 tsp wholegrain mustard
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp apple cider vinegar (ideally, one with the mother included, e.g., Heron Valley)
Any reserved blood orange juice (from the board you sliced it on, take care collecting it)
1 tsp honey (or maple syrup if vegan) – you can omit this, but it helps to balance the sharper mustard, vinegar and orange flavours
1 tbsp finely chopped fresh tarragon (or 1 tsp dried tarragon)
Salt and black pepper
You might want more mustard/vinegar/juice/honey or maple to adjust the dressing to your taste.
Method:
Either toss and roast the broccoli in ½ tbsp of olive oil for 8-10 minutes, until just colouring and tender with a little bite (about 190C), or steam or boil it for 2-3 minutes, until just tender. In a small bowl, make the dressing: Whisk together the mustard, olive oil, vinegar, any reserved blood orange juice (don’t worry if you don’t have any), honey and tarragon. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Adjust the sweetness or acidity to your liking. In a large bowl, gently combine the lentils and salad leaves with half the dressing. Transfer to serving plates. Arrange the broccoli and blood orange slices on top. Drizzle over the rest of the dressing. Sprinkle with nuts (if using).
Notes:
To make orange slices, cut a small disc of the top and bottom, then place a flat, cut side on your board. Cut down and around to remove peel and white pith. Then slice into rounds. Scrape any juice into a mug or bowl to use in the dressing. A little serrated knife can really help here.
Split any fatter broccoli stalks lengthways, so they cook in the same time. Use the whole thing; stalk, florets and leaves.
Gently dry-fry untoasted nuts for 2-3 minutes, stirring often, until they smell fragrant.
A standard tin of lentils may have slightly more in than you need, but don’t worry, save any leftover in the fridge and add to a soup, curry or stew, or sprinkle over breakfast scrambled eggs or tofu. You can even freeze them.
Nutritional breakdown per serving*:
Protein - 14g
Fibre - 13g
Healthy fats - 24g
Calories - 427 kCal
*Information may vary slightly if using different nutritional calculators.
