Turns out, you CAN make friends with salad!

I am not sure if you know this, but I have a weekly newsletter that comes out each Friday. It is just a bit of this and that, a tip from Mrs Goodman about living wisely and a health and fitness tip from Huffy Puffy Whip Cracker Mrs Spark.

There is also unworldliness diatribe from my good self plus other stuff that I have found interesting during the week. You can sign up if you want to. Just click HERE.

Anyway, the other day I published a recipe in the newsletter from Mrs Spark. Now, I am not one who gets all fussed and excited about a salad. I mean, I eat them and stuff… but whatever. Salad. UNTIL….

Mrs Spark made me a special salad and now I have trouble thinking about much else but the salad. If I could, I would walk around with a feeding bag like a horse, munching on this salad.

Why am I telling you about it here?

Because a reader had heard about the salad and wanted to make the salad this weekend.

So what is the big deal?

Well she has to drive for 3 hours to get to Dubbo to by the freakin FREEKAH and I am feeling very responsible for the success of this salad now. So I told her I would blog about the salad so she could read the ingredients she needed to buy, once she actually gets to Dubbo. Look it all made perfect sense to me at the time. I could have just emailed her the recipe, but then you would be missing out.

So here it is, in her own words, Mrs Spark’s Salad of Excellence.

I stole this recipe from George Colombaris ( Melbourne Chef – Helenic Republic & The Press Club ) but added a few twists of my own to increase the health factor.

Cypriot Grain Salad – It really is a meal in itself.

INGREDIENTS: 1 cup of cooked Freekah ( available at supermarkets & health food stores), 1 cup of cooked puy lentils, 1 bunch of chopped coriander, 1/2 bunch of chopped flat leaf parsley, 1/2 red onion – finely chopped, 2tbsp baby capers, 1/2 cup currants, 2tbsp each of toasted pine nuts, pepitas & slivered almonds. Seeds from 1 pomegranate. Juice of 1 lemon and 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil.

METHOD: Combine all ingredients in a big bowl.

You can top this dish with a dollop of Greek Yoghurt mixed with a sprinkle of ground cumin and a splash of maple syrup.

Second helpings are compulsory.