Beetroot, Feta and Quinoa Salad

I had been meaning to roast some beetroot this week but wasn't quite sure what to do with it. I also had half a slab of feta and some quinoa in the cupboard and started to get an idea! I googled it and found it wasn't so weird to put them together and so I did. I made a little dressing of olive oil, balsamic vinegar, honey, cider vinegar and lemon juice with a bit of salt and pepper. It was lovely and pink (see filo pizza post) but I'm still not a great fan of beetroot, especially not in such big chunks.

Quinoa, Black Bean and Toasted Cumin Seed Salad

Another recipe from Appetite for Reduction, another new ingredient, quinoa. I have eaten it once before this, with a curry, as an alternative to rice and I wasn't impressed. In this salad though with black beans, spring onions, tomatoes, lime juice and a little oil, it went down a treat and just as it says in the book it was better the day after once all the ingredients had soaked together. I toasted my cumin seeds as directed and added them to the salad but I couldn't really taste them. The quinoa made a good base for this salad with its light, grainy texture and slightly nutty taste.

 We had it with some of the left over pink coleslaw from earlier in the week and our first crop of home grown potatoes, which were a little disappointing compared to last year's creamy crop.

We also had some Linda McCartney vegetarian (and vegan) sausage rolls which are always a hit.