The eat well plate - No.5 (GF, V+)

Eat well and feel good with plants-only on your plate

• chickpeas
• buckwheat
• beetroot salad
• hummus

For the cooked chickpeas you will need:
1 cup dried chickpeas
1 bay leaf
1 clove of garlic
1 cm fresh ginger root

1. Soak the chickpeas overnight.
2. Next day drain, refresh and drain again. Put chickpeas in a pot with plenty of water and bring to boil.
3. Add bay leaf, halved garlic clove and quartered fresh ginger root. Reduce to simmer, loosely cover and cook for 45 mins.
4. Let chickpeas cool in their cooking liquid. Discard bay leaf, garlic and ginger.

For the hummus you will need:
half of the cooked chickpeas
2 tbsp tahini (sesame seed paste)
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 fat cloves of garlic
pinch of salt

1. Put chickpeas into filtered cool water and rub off the skin. Fish the loosened skin off and discard.
2. Put the cleaned chickpeas into a blender. Season with tahini, garlic, olive oil, salt and lemon juice. Blend well. If you prefer thinner hummus, add some cooking liquid.

For the cooked buckwheat you will need:
3/4 cup buckwheat, unroasted

1. Wash the buckwheat in plenty of water, drain well then put the seeds into a pan with 2 cups of water. Bring to boil, cook uncovered for 4 to 5 mins.
2. Reduce to simmer, put a lid on and gently cook for 5 to 7 more mins until all the water is absorbed.
3. Take it off the heat and let it rest for a few mins with the lid still on.

For the beetroot salad you will need:
3 medium young beetroots
1 large, long carrot
1 mini Romaine lettuce
3 tbsp pumpkin seeds
1 heaped tbsp poppy seeds
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp apple cider vinegar

1. Cook the beetroots (in their skin) in plenty of water for 30 mins. Let them cool, then peel off their skin. Purple hands!
2. Julienne 1 beetroot and cut the rest into bigger cubes. Add olive oil (to seal the colour), mix well, then add the vinegar (to fix the colour), mix well. Let it stand for a few mins.
3. Lightly toast the pumpkin seeds on medium heat. Set aside, let it cool.
4. Julienne the peeled carrot. Put it in a mixing bowl.
5. Wash the lettuce and tear into smaller pieces. Add to the julienned carrots.
6. Add beetroot to the bowl, sprinkle with poppy seed and with the toasted pumpkin seeds. Mix well.

To serve: Fluff the buckwheat up with a fork. Put buckwheat on the plate, next cooked chickpeas, then the beetroot salad. Finish with a generous dollop of hummus. Sprinkle hummus with ground cumin and toasted sesame seeds. Enjoy!

More EAT WELL PLATE ideas:
The eat well plate No.4 - Rice, mung dal, cauliflower-okra curry, avocado;
The eat well plate No.3 - Quinoa, lentil, broccoli, carrot salad;
The eat well plate No.2 - Kichadi, green beans, asparagus, avocado;
The eat well plate No.1 - Rice, sweet potato, broad beans, broccoli;