Crisp Cucumber Celery Salad

I swear, I come up with the best recipes when Im in a rush!  I packed another salad-winner this morning for work and it hit the spot so well that I thought I should share it with you!

Crisp Cucumber Celery Salad
Time: 5 minutes
Servings: 1-2

Ingredients:
        Salad:
                3 celery stalks
                1/2 cucumber
                1/2 cup cooked beans/legumes (I used french lentils)
                1 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley (fresh mint would also go well in this salad)
                Mixed Greens
        Dressing:
                1 Tbsp tahini (sesame seed paste)
                1 Tbsp Dijon mustard
                1 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
                1+ Tbsp water (more to thin)
                1/4 tsp dried dill

Instructions:

1. Wash all produce very well.  Trim the edges of the celery and cut on the bias (aka in a pretty diagonal).  Cut the cucumber in half, then in quarters length-wise, then slice.
2. In a small bowl or container, add all of the dressing ingredients and stir thoroughly to mix.  Add more water to thin to the desired consistency.  
3.  Place the cucumber, celery, and beans/legumes in a medium sized container.  Pour the mixed dressing over the mixture and toss to coat well.  
4. Serve the cucumber and celery mixture by itself or on top of mixed salad greens.

Amys Notes:

As I said above, I used french lentils in this salad, but feel free to use any bean or legume you have on hand.  You can, of course, add more beans/legumes if you desire.

Lately, I have been loving super simple, single-serve dressings like this one.  I like that it is quick to throw together and doesnt require the use of a blender.  If you like this one, make sure to check out my even more simple One-Two Dressing.

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ROAST CARROTS WITH CRISP CHICKPEAS AND TAHINI

To round off my husband Pascals birthday week we had his favourite roast pork belly on Sunday - he wanted potatoes as a side but I vetoed that idea and chose a vegetable dish as my jeans were starting to feel super tight after all our recent pigletting!

This is a recipe I ripped out from Olive magazine and it took about 45 minutes to make.

Ingredients for 4 people (as a side):

1 tin of chickpeas (410g), drained and rinsed
olive oil
1 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp chilli powder (optional - we left it out)
1 tsp smoked paprika (I used normal as that is all I had)
1 kg carrots, halved lengthways and widthways
2 tbsp runny honey
2 tbsp parsley, chopped

Tahini Sauce
2 tbsp tahini (stir the jar really well before measuring)
1/2 clove garlic, crushed
1/2 lemon, zested and juiced
1 tbsp olive oil
Water (amount depends on how thick you want your sauce)
Salt & pepper

Preheat the oven to 200 C / 180 C fan / gas mark 6.

In a roasting tin, add together the chickpeas, a good slug of olive oil (2 tbsp), the cumin, paprika, chilli powder and salt. Give it all a good stir so it is completely mixed. Bake for 40 minutes, shaking the tin every now and then until the chickpeas are crisp (I did this about 3 times).

Peel and cut the carrots lengthways and widthways and then roll them in a tablespoon of olive oil and the honey and season well. Lay in a roasting tin and put them in the oven on a shelf under the chickpeas (if possible) and roast for 30 minutes.

To make the sauce, mix together the tahini, garlic, lemon juice and zest, salt, pepper, olive oil and enough water to make it spoonable. I added about 3 tbsp of water I reckon - I did it bit by bit and tasted it as I went. I was surprised at how much I had to stir the tahini to start with - it was very stiff.

Once the carrots and chickpeas are ready, combine together with some parsley and spoon over the sauce.

I was a bit dubious about this to start as the chickpeas are very very crispy (I didnt expect that despite the recipe title) and my sauce originally didnt come together - I had to season it well. However it definitely grew on me after a few mouthfuls and Pascal and I decided we really liked it. It would actually work well as a veggie main with some feta or halloumi or also as a side to some lamb. A good fusion of flavours and very simple and easy to make.

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