Super healthy quinoa & avocado salad

This vivid coloured salad is light, fresh and summery. It contains protein-packed quinoa, broad and edamame beans, creamy avocado, alfalfa sprouts and a mixture of soft herbs, all tossed in a zingy lemon dressing – it really is a powerhouse of healthy ingredients. It’s completely gluten, wheat and dairy free, too. You just know you’re going to feel good after eating it. But If that sounds all a bit too worthy, then flourish it with some crumbled feta or serve it alongside some salmon or chicken for a more substantial meal.

It makes me happy when I see broad beans appear in the shops; a true sign that summer is really here. Double podding is a labour of love but it’s always worth slipping them from their inner jacket to reveal the tender emerald bean within. I may be alone in this, but I find the repetitive task of podding quite therapeutic. It requires zero thought and can be done simultaneously whilst listening to music, watching TV or even chatting to someone on the phone (hands free of course). When broad beans are not in season, frozen ones are a useful standby ingredient to have and I use them regularly – paella, pasta, frittatas, salads, tarts and sourdough toast all get a sprinkling of the little delicate.

You can buy packs of sprouts easily enough but doing your own at home is so cheap and easy. There’s plenty of guides online on how to sprout myriad seeds and pulses so I won’t go into details here. Alfalfa is a favourite – they’re super quick to pop their tails, compared to others, that is – usually only 2 days – and provide a healthy and slightly crunchy addition to salads and are also great crammed into a sandwich.

This salad is obviously a template and other lovely ingredients can be added or subbed. Think French beans, peas, chopped baby spinach, courgette, asparagus, toasted pumpkin seeds… anything you like – but as long as it’s green!