Recipes: Tabbouleh and a Chickpea Salad

If you're in need of something quick and easy to prepare for dinner and you have no fresh meat or fish to hand, why not try one of these vegetarian recipes? They're packed with nutrients - particularly iron, B vitamins, vitamin C and fibre - with a great balance between complex carbohydrates (which will keep you full for longer and prevent sugar cravings) and protein (which will help to fill you up and support brain function).

Make sure you've always got a good stock of tinned beans, chickpeas and ready-to-prepare grains and you'll be able to swap certain ingredients from the following recipes with those which you have to hand. For example, bulgar and quinoa can be swapped with cous cous or barley, while chickpeas can be swapped with kidney beans, butter beans, cannellini beans or any other bean.

Tabbouleh

Serves 4 as a main course

·         200g quinoa (or bulgar wheat)

·         1 stock cube

·         4tbsp olive oil

·         3 aubergines

·         1kg tomatoes

·         Large bunch flat leaf parsley

·         2 red onions, diced

·         75g pine nuts

·         3tsp mixed spice

·         4 cloves garlic

·         1 bag spinach

1.      Cook quinoa/bulgar according to instructions, with stock added to the water – drain & set aside

2.      Heat oil in pan, add the garlic and aubergine for 10 minutes until aubergine is golden

3.      Scoop out seeds from tomatoes, chop the flesh; combine with remaining ingredients.

4.      Serve on a bed of spinach, or chop the spinach first and combine with the salad.

Beetroot & Chickpea Salad

Serves 4

·         2 fresh beetroot

·         100g quinoa or bulgar wheat

·         300ml veg stock

·         1 tin chickpeas

·         2 spring onions, finely chopped

For the dressing

·         1 ½ tbsp. white wine vinegar or juice of 1 lemon

·         2tbsp olive oil

·         1-2 tbsp Dijon mustard

·         2cm piece fresh ginger, grated or finely chopped

·         Handful flat leaf parsley

1.      Cut the beetroot into quarters and boil for 30 minutes

2.      Meanwhile cook the quinoa/bulgar according to instructions on pack

3.      Mix all salad ingredients together

4.      Mix dressing ingredients together and drizzle over, then serve