Chilli-Roasted Broccoli and Avocado Salad with Toasted Seeds

It’s so wonderful to be writing on the blog again. I have had a rather busy week – moving house, unpacking boxes and preparing my portfolio for a foundation degree, but now that I’m all settled in to my new flat and have secured a place on the course, I have the whole Summer free to experiment in my kitchen and share with you the recipes that I create.

On to the recipe, I made this salad a while ago and I forgot to write down the recipe but it’s one of those dishes that doesn’t really need a strict recipe; its something you can play about with and swap ingredients. Try roasting the broccoli with herbs such as rosemary and thyme, adding shaved fennel/roasted peppers/olives, toasting nuts instead of seeds, using watercress as a base… the possibilities are endless! Feel free to add as many things as you like, however it’s the combination of roast broccoli (both tender and charred), creamy avocado and crunchy toasted seeds that makes this so delicious. You can enjoy it on it’s own for a light lunch or dinner or with roast/grilled meat or fish; whatever your body feels like!

Chilli-Roasted Broccoli and Avocado Salad with Toasted Seeds – Gluten, Dairy and Sugar Free

Serves 3 – 4

• 1 head of broccoli, washed
• olive oil, about 1 tbsp
• dried chilli flakes (I love these)
• 2-3 tbsp cup pumpkin seeds
• 2-3 tbsp cup sunflower seeds
• 1 large pack of rocket leaves
• 1 – 2 ripe avocados, depending on size
• olive oil, preferably garlic infused olive oil, to dress
• lemon juice, no more than half a lemon, to dress

• optional extras: olives, chopped spring onions…

1. Preheat the oven to 200C and line a baking tray with foil.
2. First prepare the salad base. Place the rocket leaves in a large bowl and dress with a little olive oil and lemon juice to taste. Arrange on a large plate or shallow bowl. Chop the avocado into bite size chunks then set aside.
3. Cut the broccoli into even bite-sized florets then place on the tray. Drizzle about 1 tbsp of olive oil over the broccoli then scatter over some chilli flakes and toss till lightly coated. (It’s better to add less chilli flakes then add more after if not hot enough, you can always add heat but you can’t take it away!)
4. Place in the oven and roast for about 10 minutes then remove from the oven and scatter over the seeds Pop back in the oven and leave to roast for a further 7-10 minutes until tender when pierced with a knife and charred. Set aside to cool slightly for a few minutes.
5. Arrange the broccoli and avocado slices onto the rocket leaves then scoop up any remaining seeds from the baking tray and sprinkle over.
6. Serve.

With Love, Spice and Smile,

Thaïs