Easy Read Recipes by Leanne Foreman

Real food recipes in an easier format that makes it as easy as possible for as many as possible to read and follow a recipe.

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Lemony Chickpea and Quinoa Salad

by Leanne Foreman

This fresh-tasting and nutritious Chickpea and Quinoa Salad can be eaten as a side or all on its own. It is a great standby to have on hand in the fridge.

Quinoa (pronounced “keen-wah”) is a type of edible seed that is often classed as a whole grain. It comes in various colours including black, red, yellow, and white. The lighter colours have the mildest taste.

 

Nutritional Information for Quinoa

Because quinoa is gluten-free it is a popular choice for coeliacs.

Chickpeas and quinoa provide the protein that is necessary for building and maintaining a healthy body. According to an article from the Harvard School of Health, quinoa is one of the few plants that provide complete protein, “meaning that it contains all nine essential amino acids that our bodies cannot make on their own.” This is very important for those following a vegan or vegetarian diet.

 

Preparation Tips for Cooking Quinoa

“After the seeds are harvested they undergo processing to remove the natural saponins, a bitter-tasting chemical compound coating the exterior that acts as a natural pesticide.” To ensure all the saponins have been removed, I always rinse quinoa, including the brands advertised as “pre-rinsed”.

Extra flavour can be added to quinoa by using stock instead of water. Also, try adding your favourite herbs and spices to the cooking liquid.

I have found that the easiest way to cook quinoa is in a rice cooker. As a side note, I found a stainless steel bowl rice cooker because I want to avoid the Teflon found on most. If you want to know why, watch the film “Dark Waters” with Mark Ruffalo, Anne Hathaway, and Tim Robbins.

With this particular quinoa salad recipe, I sometimes leave out the tomato and add dried cranberries or currants and toasted sliced almonds. If you want more vegetables instead, leave in the tomato and add cubed cucumber, pitted black olives, and/or fresh spinach leaves. Play around with it until you find your perfect combination.

 

Kohlrabi and Carrot Salad

by Leanne Foreman

Kohlrabi is back in trend but is often overlooked. This salad uses the slightly sweet and peppery taste of Kohlrabi to complement the sweetness of the carrot. The sweet citrus dressing is the perfect finish.

Kohlrabi (photo by Johnathon Kemper)

 

If you are looking for another salad with grated carrot, try my Beetroot and Carrot Salad with Ginger and Lime Dressing, Moroccan Salad, or Asian Style Coleslaw. To find other easy read salad recipes, choose “Salads” as the category option on the Recipe Page.

 

Bean and Corn Salad

by Leanne Foreman

If you are looking for a brilliant instead of boring Bean Salad? Then this Bean and Corn Salad will become a favourite. Beans, corn, avocado, capsicum, and red onion make this Bean Salad fresh and vibrant.

For other easier to read salad recipes go here!

 

Ingredient Shopping Tips for the Bean and Corn Salad

The fresh corn can be replaced with frozen corn or to avoid cooking altogether you could use canned corn kernels. I also search for organic corn which is by default not genetically modified. Do you know that one of the main reasons that most corn is genetically modified is to make it resistant to the herbicide glyphosate (think zero and roundup)?  This herbicide is said to kill our beneficial gut bacteria and cause developmental and reproductive issues. If you are interested, you can read a short WebMD article about “Herbicides and Your Health” here.

For convenience, I have used canned beans instead of cooking my own. I used a 400 gram can of beans which is about 14 ounces.  I do ensure I choose a can with a “BPA free” lining. The can ingredients should be simply beans, water, and perhaps salt though “no added salt” versions are now available.

The avocado needs to be ripe yet firm otherwise the cubes of avocado will get squashed during mixing.

I usually prefer red capsicum (pepper) because it is sweeter, however, I often use half of a red and half of a green to add extra colour.

If you find raw onion difficult to digest, then simply replace it with thinly sliced green onions (scallions).

The rapadura or panela sugar in the dressing is simply dried sugar cane juice. It is very different from the refining process of most sugars. Even raw sugar is refined white sugar with some molasses thrown back in.

 

Preparation Tips for the Bean and Corn Salad

The beans are rinsed to reduce the starch and any added salt. It is claimed by many that it also helps to remove some of the gas-producing oligosaccharides. I’ll leave that experiment entirely up to you!

The rapadura or panela sugar is added for those who are used to the sweeter bean salads that are typical of many restaurants. To wean the family off needing sugar for taste, slowly reduce the amount of sugar each time the salad is made.

 

Crunchy Christmas Salad

by Leanne Foreman

A crunchy Christmas salad of broccoli and cauliflower with the sweetness of dried cranberries or cherries and the extra crunch and goodness of macadamias. It is mixed together with a sweet yoghurt dressing.

Cooking tips

If you aren’t a fan of fresh mint then try swapping it for 1/2 cup of dedicated coconut.

For paleo or vegan diets use plain coconut yoghurt.

Another salad that can be converted to a Christmas salad is my Sweet Nutty Coleslaw. Simply use dried cranberries or cherries for the sultanas and red apple for the green apple. I think it is so much fun using food in the Christmas colours of red, green and white.

Sweet Nutty Coleslaw

by Leanne Foreman for Millen Farm

A nutty coleslaw with the added sweetness of apples, sultanas, and a sweetened yoghurt dressing.

This Sweet Nutty Coleslaw is perfect served with barbequed meat, especially pork.

For another popular coleslaw recipe, try my Asian Style Coleslaw.

Crunchy Broccoli and Cauliflower Salad with Honey Yoghurt Dressing

by Leanne Foreman for Millen Farm

Small crunchy pieces of fresh broccoli and cauliflower are combined with a subtle honey yoghurt dressing to make this salad a welcome change to a leafy salad. I would never have thought raw broccoli and cauliflower could taste so good. In fact, I would not have considered it until I was asked to develop a recipe with these two vegetables. I was so pleasantly surprised and hope you will be too.

If you follow a vegan diet, simply use coconut yoghurt and exchange the honey with maple syrup.

If you have any leftover broccoli, try my Broccoli and Fennel Soup.

 

Vegan Creamy Coriander and Lime Dressing

by Leanne Foreman for Millen Farm

This super easy Vegan Creamy Coriander and Lime Dressing is also oil-free for those who want to avoid oil. It gives any salad a fresh-tasting lift while avoiding the additives that are in most store-bought dressings. It is particularly delicious as a condiment for my Spicy Zucchini Fritters.

If you don’t like coriander, then easily turn this dressing into a Mint and Lemon Dressing. Simply replace the coriander with fresh mint and the lime juice with lemon juice.

You can adjust the consistency from a thick dressing to an easy pour dressing (as shown in the photo) by adjusting the amount of water used.

 

Zucchini Salad

Inspired by a recipe by Jamie Oliver

This fresh lemony zucchini salad is a perfect accompaniment to dinner, or it can be eaten alone as a light lunch.

It is inspired by a Jamie Oliver recipe from his “Jamie’s 30 Minute Meals” cookbook and has become one of my favourites.

To some it may seem unusual to eat raw zucchini as a salad but please give it a try. I’m sure you will be pleasantly surprised.

Prawn and Mango Skewers with Thai Dressing

by Leanne Foreman

This prawn dish (or shrimp dish as my friends in the U.S. say) is a perfect light lunch, or an impressive starter for a dinner party.

The not-too-spicy Thai dressing for the prawns couldn’t be any easier. Notice how the measure are mostly all the same? I try to do this with all my recipes, as it makes them easier to eventually memorise.

I don’t like my food too spicy so I have avoided using fresh chillies, until now that is! I have discovered the wonderful colour and not-too-spicy flavour of the “long red chilli”. Now it is a regular in my fruit and veggie bowl. If you want the dressing to be more spicy, simply don’t deseed the chilli or use a hotter variety of chilli.

When using coconut oil in the dressing, ensure all the ingredients are at room temperature otherwise the coconut oil will solidify from the coldness of another ingredient. If this does happen, simply gently heat until the coconut is just liquid again.

It is important to use fresh, locally sourced prawns that still have their shell on. The prawns that have been peeled and imported from overseas will have been preserved in a sulphite solution that some people, including myself, are allergic to. If I peel the prawns myself I am fine but if I eat pre-peeled prawns, I get an itchy rash on my neck that can sometimes travel down to the trunk of my body. The same thing happens if I eat any food with sulphites in it.

The Australian Society of Clinical Immunology and Allergy, states that “Metabisulfite preservative can sometimes be used to stop crustaceans (such as prawns) from discolouring. Reactions to this preservative (also used in wine, beer and some dried fruit as a preservative) include wheezing/tight chest (more common in those with asthma), stomach irritation (e.g. nausea, pain) and very uncommonly, itch/rashes.” (https://www.allergy.org.au)

This dish can also be served as a tossed salad without the skewers.

Rainbow Salad

by Leah Follett

This is a close adaption of a recipe by my friend and colleague Leah Follett. This recipe first appeared in her book “A Well Fed Heart”.

Vegan Pad Thai Salad

This easy salad is perfect as a summer meal for vegans and non-vegans, as the protein is provided by the nuts and sprouts. It is also a great side salad for a BBQ get-together.

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