Salads are an easy way to up your veg intake and this one will give you a delicious boost. Gram for gram, watercress contains more vitamin C than oranges. Combine this with chickpeas for protein and pistachios for a healthy dose of vitamin K and potassium and you’re onto a nutritional winner.
Ingredients
1⁄2 red onion cut into chunks
1 tbsp olive oil
30g (11⁄4oz) canned chickpeas, rinsed and drained 1 small garlic clove, finely grated
1⁄2 red chilli, finely sliced diagonally
15g (1⁄2oz) de-seeded cucumber, finely sliced
15g (1⁄2oz) raw pumpkin seeds
15 (1⁄2oz) raw pistachios
70g (23⁄4oz) watercress
1 spring onion (scallion), sliced diagonally
For the dressing
2 tbsp olive oil
Juice of 1 lemon
1 tbsp tamari
1 tsp agave syrup
Method
Preheat the oven to 1700C / 3400F / gas mark 31⁄2
Place the onion chunks on a baking tray (cookie sheet), drizzle with the olive oil and bake for 30 minutes, or until soft.
Place the chickpeas in a bowl with the roasted onion and the garlic and mix thoroughly. Stir in the chilli, cucumber, pumpkin seeds and pistachios.
Whisk the dressing ingredients together with a fork.
To serve, scatter the watercress on a plate, top with the chickpea mixture, spring onion (scallion) and drizzle over the dressing.
