Seasonal Spring Greens and Bean Salad

Necessity is the mother of invention, and I feel that especially keenly with my packed lunches I take to uni. I want something delicious, easy to prepare the night before, and nutritionally balanced, as well as ideally not too expensive. So I’ve been playing around with a lot of new salads lately, and taking them to uni for lunch to test them out. This one is my absolutely favourite salads I’ve made and tried in a long time, and it just so happens to be quite seasonal as well (if you live in the UK).

I used to approach salads with a “just throw in aaallll the veg” approach, with as many colours as possible, but I’m doing that less now and focusing more on combinations that just excite the taste buds, as in the end that is slightly more important than aesthetics haha!

Serves: 1

Ingredients:

80g mixed greens (I like to use baby spinach and rocket)
80g tenderstem broccoli
50g asparagus tips
100g sweet potato (approx. one small one)
80g chickpeas (cooked)
80g kidney beans (cooked)
1/2 avocado
Salt and pepper
Lemon juice

What to do:

• Chop the sweet potato into cubes, sprinkle with a little oil and salt, and place under the grill for around 10 minutes (alternatively you can just use an oven but it will take a lot longer)
• Steam the asparagus and tenderstem broccoli for 5 minutes
• Mash the avocado in a small bowl with some salt, pepper, and lemon juice to taste. This will act as a dressing
• If your spinach leaves are quite large, cut them up into smaller pieces that are easier to manage
• In a large bowl, add all the ingredients, with the mashed avocado last. Mix thoroughly until everything is loosely coated in the avocado “dressing”. Enjoy!