Midweek meal: Go veg with Fi Buchanan’s roast sweet potatoes and cauliflower tabbouleh

This recipe is from Fi Buchanan’s new recipe book, Seasonal Salads.

Fi says: “I remember where I was the first time I had rocket: age 10, in corduroys and wellies, at Edna Whyte and Audrey Stone’s incredible gallery and restaurant The Buttery on the Hebridean island of Luing.

“I ate for the first time salad that was entirely something other than the token quarter tomato, piece of cucumber and shred of iceberg lettuce.

“I was struck by lightning. Peppery rocket with homemade brown bread and butter and freshly made lemonade. It was the best meal of my life.

“Forty years on, I still find salads just as lip-smacking.

“Developing a repertoire of delicious everyday salads that generate little washing up and can be made quickly is cost effective, and healthier than relying on micro-ready meals.

“And salads are not just for summer; they’re a great way to eat all year round.

“My recipes are just starting points; there are no hard and fast rules when making a salad. Feel free to stray from the ingredients list and cook creatively to please yourself.”

Roast sweet potatoes with chermoula

You could easily use roasting potatoes in place of the sweet variety here. This is a favourite in our household as, since the oven’s on anyway, it’s easy to add in a protein of your choice to turn this into a delicious supper. Try chicken breasts or salmon fillets lightly seasoned and scattered with lemon zest, for example.

(Serves 4)

• 4 medium-to-small sweet potatoes (about 600g), peeled
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• ½ tsp sea salt
• 250g sour cream or creme fraiche to serve

For the chermoula:

• 1 tsp coriander seeds
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• 50g coriander
• 50g flat-leaf parsley
• 1 tsp picked thyme leaves
• 1 garlic clove
• 2 tsp lemon zest
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 50ml extra virgin olive oil
• ½ tsp chilli flakes (plus extra to garnish)

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180C/160C Fan/350F/Gas Mark 4. Cut the sweet potato into 4-5cm chunks and place on a baking tray. Toss the sweet potato in the oil and sprinkle with the salt then roast for 30 to 35 minutes, until it is tender and starting to crisp at the edges.
2. For the chermoula, toast the coriander and cumin seeds over a medium heat in a dry frying pan until they start to crackle and become fragrant.
3. Add these to a food processor along with the coriander, parsley, thyme, garlic, lemon zest and juice, oil and chilli flakes and blitz until combined.
4. Spoon the chermoula over the sweet roasties and top with a dollop of sour cream or creme fraiche and a light sprinkling of chilli flakes.

Cauliflower tabbouleh

Here’s a light twist on a classic salad where the herbs act as the fresh greens. The grapes are a slightly unconventional addition but they add a fresh, sweet pop I really like. You could easily swap the cauliflower for cooked bulgur wheat if you prefer.

Serves 4

• 1 medium cauliflower (approx. 800g), trimmed
• 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 75g flat-leaf parsley
• 25g picked mint leaves
• 200g green seedless grapes, halved
• 4 spring onions, finely chopped
• A decent glug (approx. 50ml) extra virgin olive oil
• Juice of 1 lemon
• 1 garlic clove, grated
• ½ tsp sumac
• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method

1. Cut the cauliflower into florets and finely slice the core. For best results use a food processor and give four two-second pulses to break the cauliflower down into a loose crumb-like texture. Or grate the cauliflower using the coarse side of a box grater – it takes more time, but the results will be just as good.
2. Heat the oil in a frying pan and sautee the cauliflower on a medium-to-low heat for about five minutes. You don’t want to brown it, just soften it slightly. Transfer it to a large serving bowl and allow it to cool.
3. Next add the parsley and mint to the food processor and blitz in six three-second blasts, pushing unchopped herbs down the side of the bowl between blasts if necessary. Again, elbow grease and a knife are a perfectly good replacement for a food processor here.
4. Stir the chopped herbs into the cauliflower along with the grapes and spring onions, then add the oil, lemon juice and garlic. Stir again so that everything is evenly integrated and season to taste. Finally, garnish with the sumac and serve.

For more midweek meal ideas from our archive, click here.