Bean salad with mint and pomegranate dressing recipe

This fresh and vibrant salad is delicious warm or cold, as a nutritious lunch or shared at a gathering, said Madeleine Olivia. The final touch of pomegranate molasses in the dressing and seeds for topping takes the flavour to another level.

Ingredients (serves 6-8)

• 150g brown, black or wild rice
• 150g whole grains (such as buckwheat, quinoa, barley, amaranth, farro, bulgur wheat)
• 400g tin of beans (such as kidney beans, black beans, chickpeas, black-eyed beans, butter beans, pinto beans) drained and rinsed
• 10 cherry tomatoes quartered
• 6 radishes very thinly sliced
• 1 small red onion
• 1 tbsp pumpkin seeds
• handful of lamb’s lettuce (or rocket or young spinach)
• pomegranate seeds for topping (optional)
• lemon wedges, to serve

For the dressing:

• 1 tbsp finely chopped mint
• 2 tsp Dijon mustard
• 1 tsp pomegranate molasses
• zest and juice of 1 lemon
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• salt and freshly ground pepper

Method

• Cook the rice and grains according to the packet instructions. Set aside to cool.
• Whisk all the dressing ingredients together in a small bowl. Taste and adjust the seasoning.
• When the rice and whole grains are cool, add to a large bowl with the remaining salad ingredients, adding the lamb’s lettuce (or rocket, or spinach) last and tossing everything together.
• Pour over the dressing, sprinkle over the pomegranate seeds, if using, and serve with lemon wedges.

Taken from A Year in a Cottage Kitchen by Madeleine Olivia

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