You know I love a good *leftovers lunch* to minimise food waste in the household. And this Red Cabbage Quinoa Salad has a certain wow factor about it too, that might just impress any unexpected guests during the festive season. There’s just something so satisfying about creating a whole new dish out of leftovers and re-loving them. And in the Winter months, or especially around the festive season, there always seems to be a lot of roasted veg hanging around. So put it to good use in this Tabbouleh. This salad is a mix of everything I love; crunch, sweetness, heartiness and lots of freshness from the herbs. Use any roasted veg you have and I used olives here as I had some leftover from entertaining, but use whatever else you think might work or throw in whatever you fancy!

If you’re looking for a good Quinoa source, I love Hodmedods Quinoa which is grown in Essex!

Want another roasted veg salad? Try this one.

Method

1. Cook your quinoa according to the packet. I cooked mine in veg stock for more flavour but feel free to just use water.

2. Whilst cooking, slice the cabbage, add to a bowl and mix in the apple cider vinegar with a pinch of salt, giving it a good stir. Then leave to sit and turn bright pink until the quinoa is cooked.

3. Once the quinoa is cooked, assemble it in a big bowl with the cabbage, olive oil, roasted veg and dried and fresh herbs.

4. Remove the pomegranate seeds from the pomegranate (my preferred method is spanking) and add to the salad, along with the olives. Drizzle with extra virgin olive oil, a crumbling of feta and a sprinkling of salt and pepper to season.

Ingredients

200g quinoa (I used tricolore for lots of colour)
300g red cabbage, finely sliced
4 tbsp apple cider vinegar
4 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp dried oregano/thyme/za’atar
2 big handfuls of roasted veg (carrots/sweet potato/squash)
1 pomegranate
3 large handful of fresh herbs parsley/mint/coriander/dill or a mix, roughly chopped
Small handful feta cheese, crumbled (you could also use goats cheese, pecorino, parmesan or fried halloumi)
Handful of olives

My Cookbook