Roast Carrot, Quinoa and Danish Salad

This salad looks beautiful and is wonderful to eat especially if you can use fresh spring carrots. It can easily be a meal on its own or a delicious side dish.

Yield: Serves 4 – 6

Ingredients:

• 3 Bunches carrots
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1/4 tsp cumin seeds
• 1 tbsp runny honey
• 1/2 cup Quinoa
• 1/2 cup Italian parsley rougly chopped
• 1/2 cup mint rougly chopped
• 1 spring onion finely diced
• 1 orange zested and juiced
• 1/2 lemon juiced
• 75g hazelnuts roasted, peeled and roughly chopped
• 100g feta crumbled
• 1 pack of Prasuma Salami cut into strips
• Mustard Dressing
• 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
• 1 tbsp runny honey
• 1 lemon juiced
• 125ml olive oil
• Sea salt and cracked pepper
• Olive oil

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Wash and scrap the spring carrots. Cut the stalks leaving about 3cm at the top.
2. Line a large baking tray with baking paper, drizzle it with the olive oil and add the carrots. Sprinkle over the cumin seeds, drizzle with honey, season well and toss altogether. Place into a hot oven for 20 mins or until the carrots are just tender.
3. Meanwhile rinse the quinoa under cold water. Place the quinoa into a medium sized pot with 1 cup of cold water and cover it with a lid. Bring it to the boil then turn it down to a gentle simmer for 15 mins.
4. Transfer the quinoa to a bowl and add half of the parsley and mint [reserve the other half for garnish]; Danish salami, spring onion, orange juice and zest, lemon juice and season well. Toss together well and set aside.
5. To make the mustard dressing whisk the Dijon, honey, lemon juice, a twist of cracked pepper and a good pinch of sea salt altogether in a small bowl. Slowly whisk in the olive oil till it’s emulsified and set aside.
6. To assemble take a large serving platter and spread a third of the quinoa salad over the plate. Arrange a third of the carrots and drizzle a third of the dressing. Sprinkle with a third of the hazelnuts and feta. Repeat this process till you finish with a nice ‘pile’ of salad. Garnish with the remaining parsley and mint.”