Tart London: How to make green quinoa salad

Come lunchtime, we normally crave a big bowl of cheesy pasta. But as summer is around the corner and we want to look good on holiday, we’re more likely to make this really delicious green quinoa salad. If you have to be healthy, at least this recipe is an enjoyable way to do it.

We’ve had so many quinoa salads that taste of nothing: salads that lack seasoning, dressing and soul. It’s not fair on quinoa as it can easily be made tasty. First, you need seasonal ingredients. Now it’s May, we’re in luck. There’s an abundance of broad beans, peas, asparagus and spinach, not to mention broccoli, spring onions and lots of lovely herbs. Crunchy green vegetables make us so happy. They go hand in hand with that marvellous springtime smell of mown grass and bring to mind the feeling of the sun warming your cheeks for the first time in months.

This recipe is packed full of vitamins and minerals, and will feed all of your guests no matter what their intolerances. It’s also a great all-rounder dish, as it goes with almost anything. It works with both meat and fish. It’s perfect to serve at a barbecue on a hot spring day, and it’s comforting on a chilly one. It’s delicious by itself at lunch, or topped with a poached egg at breakfast, when we like to add slices of griddled halloumi, a squeeze of lime and a sprinkling of chilli or coriander. Make sure you eat the cheese while it’s warm and soft, before it turns into squeaky old rubber.