Easy Lunches – Moroccan Falafel Salad

When the clock strikes midday I love a tasty but quick & easy lunch to fill me up and this Moroccan falafel salad definitely ticks the box.

It’s basically been cobbled together with ingredients I had left in the fridge, yet it tastes lush and was quick to throw together. Using up fresh pomegranate and mint sauce has given this dish a lovely moroccan element and pairs perfectly with the falafel.

Worth noting, this recipe is for a quick lunch and as such I haven’t made the falafel myself. I usually make a whole batch and freeze them so they are to hand whenever I want. On this occasion though these ones came straight from a Costco shop, forgive me!

Moroccan Falafel Salad

Moroccan Inspired Side Dishes

The sides can be made on their own or enjoyed with lots of other salad ‘buddha bowl’ type recipes. I’ve used up a tin of chick peas which are infused with fragrant red onion and smoky paprika. For a bit of greenery I’ve mixed in a minty shredded courgette ‘slaw’. Top with whatever you have in your refrigerator – in my case I had fresh pomegranate and sweetcorn. These two complement eachother and give this moroccan falafel salad some authenticity!

Vegan too!

Another great thing about my lunch? It’s totally VEGAN. I’m not even a vegan but sometimes I’ll put together a meal and it is only half way through munching I will realise it has no animal produce, added bonus right?

Moroccan Falafel Salad

A tasty Moroccan inspired salad with pomegranate, mint & smoky hummus.

Course Main Course, Salad
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 5 minutes
Total Time 15 minutes
Servings 2
Author Chrissy Fortune

Ingredients

  • 6 Falafels

Minty Courgette 'Slaw'

  • 1 Courgette, shredded
  • 2 Gherkins, chopped
  • 1 Stick Celery, chopped
  • 1 Tbsp Soya yoghurt
  • 1 Tsp Mint sauce
  • Salt & pepper

Smoky Chickpeas

  • 1 Tin Chickpeas, drained
  • 1 Medium Red onion
  • 1 Tsbp Tomato passatta
  • 1 Tsp Smoked paprika
  • 1 Tsp Olive oil
  • Salt and pepper

Salad Toppings

  • 1 Handful Cherry tomatoes
  • 2 Tbsp Pomegranate seeds
  • 2 Tbsp Sweetcorn
  • 1 Tbsp Fresh herbs
  • 1 Tbsp Smoked hummus

Instructions

  1. Heat up your grill and set the falafels under it to heat through.

  2. Whilst the falafels are warming you can start making the chick peas. Heat the oil in a pan on a medium heat and chop the red onion into small chunks. Add the onion to the hot pan and leave to cook for 2-3 minutes. Drain the chick peas and add in with the onion. Then add in the tomato passatta and smoked paprika. Leave to cook through for a further 3-5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

  3. Next, the minty courgette slaw, shred your courgette and put in a bowl. Chop the gherkins and celery into small chunks and mix all together with the courgette. Add the yoghurt and mint sauce and give a good stir. If you have any of the herbs from the gherkins pickling juice you can add this in too. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

  4. Check on the falafels and when they are nice and hot you are ready to serve. Dish up the chick peas and slaw in a bowl, add a generous dollop of hummus and add the hot falafels. Sprinkle with the sweetcorn, pomegranate and your choice of fresh chopped herbs.

So if you’re thinking that another meal deal lunch or plain ol’ sandwich is just not gonna hit the spot, why not change it up and give this Moroccan falafel salad a try? You could double up the ingredients and then would even have a enough for the next day. It’s healthy, filling and perfect to eat now that the sun has started shining down on us. A great one if you’ve got some vegan buddies to cater for too.

 

Yum

Salmon & Lentil Salad With Dill & Lemon

After the indulgence of Easter I really wanted to start the new week with a fresh, healthy meal. Start as you mean to carry on and all that. So I whipped up this tasty lentil salad, flavoured with dill, capers & lemon. Serve with some peppery rocket and top with smoked salmon to turn this side into a quick but nutritious main meal.

Lemon & Dill Lentil Salad

Where I live there are lots of little convenience shops to buy extra food staples without having to go to a huge supermarket, but the problem with this is that sometimes the selection leaves a little to be desired. No fresh dill anywhere, I literally tried about 3 stores. So this recipe is using dried dill (which still packs a good bit of flavour), but you can substitute it for fresh if you are lucky enough to have some.

The great thing about this meal is there is a real minimal amount of prep to do. The only part that requires any cooking is the lentils, which literally take just over five minutes in a pan with the other fresh ingredients. This dish is tasty hot or cold, so can be made ahead too.

Lentils – Best for fibre and protein

I know lentils aren’t exactly everyones favourite, on their own I suppose they are a bit bland. So using some fresh herbs and infusing them with sauteed onions does the trick. Lentils are such a great source of protein and fibre, plus a nice lentil salad mix makes a change from serving your meal with rice/quinoa.

Dill Lentil Salad
I also forgot just how nice of a herb dill is, it’s got such a lovely mild flavour that compliments fish perfectly. This is a real spring-time meal, gone are the days of hearty winter stews. It’s time to get creative with salads, which I love. Dill is definitely a new favourite of mine.

I made this lentil salad for my boyfriend and I earlier in the week and we both committed to keeping the health streak going until the weekend. We each have a huge foil-wrapped italian easter egg staring at us in the dining room though. The resolve is strong, well at least until Friday!

We’ve both let the healthy diet slip a bit over the weekend just gone. With Easter you can’t help but load up on hot cross buns & chocolate. Not only that but our friends love the novelty of not having to get up for work on Easter Monday. So perhaps a few too many beers were had on Sunday night (which obviously meant a trip to the fish & chip shop the next day, god it gets worse!). So I was super glad to load up on this nutritious meal.

Salmon & Lentil Salad With Dill & Lemon

A quick to make, fresh tasting salad. Serve with peppery rocket.

Course Main Course
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 8 minutes
Total Time 13 minutes
Servings 2
Author Chrissy Fortune

Ingredients

  • 1 tin Brown lentils
  • 1 Onion
  • 1 tbsp Olive oil
  • 2 tsp Dried dill
  • 1 tbsp Greek yoghurt
  • 1 Lemon
  • Salt & pepper
  • 1 stick Celery
  • 1 tbsp Capers

Serve With

  • 150 grams Smoked salmon
  • 1 Handful Rocket
  • Cucumber
  • Cherry tomatoes

Instructions

  1. Chop the onion into small cubes. Heat the oil in a pan and saute the onions over a medium heat for 2-3 minutes.

  2. Add the dill to the pan and continue to heat for 1 minute.

  3. Drain and rinse the lentils well under a running tap, then add them to the pan. Cook for a further 2-3 minutes then take off the heat.

  4. Cut the lemon in half and squeeze. Drizzle the juice over the lentils. Then mix in the greek yoghurt.

  5. Chop the celery and capers into small pieces. Mix into the lentils.


  6. Taste and season with salt & pepper. Add more dill if you desire.

To serve

  1. Plate up in two portions. Add a side of peppery rocket and smoked salmon. I also added some salad ingredients like cherry tomatoes and cucumber. Serve with a lemon twist.

Recipe Notes

The lentil mix can be kept in the fridge and served cold too.

In case you are wondering what the topping on the salmon is, I had some left over honey & mustard dressing which complimented really well too.

 

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