So I love my green foods, have them until they come out my ears! Lately though I have found myself having less dark leafy salads because of the cold weather and less seaweed as I have it in my salad! Veggie people are no more likely to suffer from an iron deficiency than meat eaters but is something we should all not be lackadaisical about.

So here is a delicious dinner packed with iron and the vitamin c that will help you absorb it! I picked up the organic leafy greens and herbs at my local organic farmers market and the rest in the health shop I work in. It makes me happy when purple sprouting broccoli comes back into season. 🙂

Seasonal Iron Rich Vegan Dinner for two!

• Roughly 4 cups of Purple Sprouting Broccoli it doesn’t fit in a cup!
• 240g or a cup and a half of cooked Pinto Beans
• A salad bowl of toren leaves:
• Organic Watercress
• Organic Rocket
• Organic Mustard Leaves
• A third of a cup of chopped parsley
• A quarter cup of chopped chives
• A small red onion- finely chopped
• Three cloves of purple garlic- finely chopped
• Half a teaspoon of nigella seeds
• A quarter teaspoon of chilli flakes
• A dessertspoon of organic raw coconut oil
• A dessertspoon of cold pressed extra virgin olive oil
• Black pepper to taste- I like lots
• A quarter teaspoon of good quality sea salt
• A squeeze/ teaspoon of fresh lemon juice.
• Half a teaspoon of powdered dillisk/dulse seaweed & more for sprinkling
• Optional:teaspoon of basil paste or some fresh basil
• An avocado
• Some alfalfa sprouts
• A red pepper- diced
• A carrot chopped as you like
• A few black olives that refused to be photographed
• A sheet of nori seaweed- to use like a wrap!

Miso Salad Dressing

• A clove of purple garlic – finely chopped
• A teaspoon of raw sweet miso paste
• A teaspoon of chopped parsley
• A teaspoon of chopped chives
• Lots of black pepper
• Half a teaspoon of apple cyder vinegar
• A dash of mirin (gives a note of sweetness)
• A squeeze of fresh lemon juice
• Half a cup of cold pressed extra virgin olive oil

Method:

Grab your broccoli and cut off a tiny bit of the tough stem. Leave the leaves, they all part of the goodness! Give them a rinse and pop them on to steam for roughly eight to ten minutes. Chop your onion and garlic including the garlic for your salad dressing. Melt your coconut oil in a wok or pan on a medium high heat. Once it is heated a bit throw in your nigella seeds, chilli flakes, and a bit of black pepper.

Now add almost all your onion (you are keeping a bit to put in your salad later).Add your sea salt.  Leave cook for a few minutes- the onion will go transparent pretty fast. Add in the garlic- let this cook. Next throw in your pinto beans (also a good source of iron).

While the pinto beans heat through rinse and chop your herbs. Put about half in with the pinto beans and keep half for the salad and salad dressing. Turn the heat down to medium. Add the dillisk/dulse and basil if using. Your purple sprouting broccoli should be ready at this stage. Add this to the pinto beans. Mix everything together and add in your extra virgin olive oil. Taste and see if it needs more seasoning. Remember you will be having it with the salad dressing so be cautious with the salt. I now turn the heat off but leave it on the ring.

Prepare your salad dressing. I make a little jar full as it will of course keep. It is even better the next day as the garlic infuses into the oil and the miso starts working on everything! Having right now on tonights dinner! Put your garlic, herbs, miso and black pepper in a  jar- that you have a lid for (you want to be able to shake it!). Add your oil. Now add your mirin, apple cyder vinegar and lemon juice. Put the lid on and give it a good shake. The vinegar and lemon juice help emulsify the dressing.

Throw all your washed dark leafy greens in a bowl. I like to tear mine rather than chop. Mix in your herbs. Chop your red pepper and carrot and either serve on the plate or add to the salad. I prefer to put the salad dressing on the table and let people take as much as they like. Chop your avocado in two and put alfalfa on it!

Go back to your purple sprouting broccoli dish and squeeze your lemon juice over it and give it a mix. I find the sharp fruity lemon juice really helps bring all the flavours together.

Ready to serve! Delicious and nutritious !Xs Aissa

P.s In tonight’s dinner I discovered that freshly cooked brown lentils are made even more addictive by the addition of half a teaspoon of ume plum puree!!! And that my water kefir looks like pee in this photo! 😉 Though not photogenic it is full of good bacteria, yeasts and enzymes that will help with my digestion.