I looove summertime. I love the warmth (you won’t hear me complaining about heatwaves!!). I love the bright evenings and beautiful late sunsets. I love the lazy days, bumbling around the city and sipping on endless iced coffees.

I also LOVE the produce.

I love the ripe berries, the juicy stone fruit and the countless shapes and sizes of tomatoes. Oh, and I love the all the veg! That’s what’s inspired today’s recipe:

The perfect summer salad – great served warm, also great served cold.

Great for meal prep; great for a picnic; great for a snack!

Chewy, nutty, gently spiced, tomato-freekeh mixed with a medley of chargrilled vegetables: sweet red peppers, juicy sweetcorn, smokey aubergine, caramelised red onions. Finished with a generous drizzle of fresh herby, garlicky, tahini yoghurt.

I used a griddle pan to get the char lines on my veg, but they’d probably be even tastier if you pop them on the barbie.

Either way, this salad is absolutely rammed with flavour.

Healthy, delicious and perfect both on its own, but also with a side of protein.

Oh, and if you’ve not heard about freekeh before, it’s a really nutritious toasted grain. Loaded up with fiber, protein, calcium and iron. It’s got a well-rounded, toasted nutty flavour and a slight chew. It’s quite comparable to bulgar wheat.

❤

Honestly, this recipe has been on constant rotation in my kitchen lately and we just can’t get enough!

Enjoy,

-Kay

Ingredients

Freekeh

• 250g freekeh
• 1l water
• 1.5tsp salt
• 1 tsp sweet paprika
• 1 tsp pul biber
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp ground coriander seed powder
• 1 vegetable stock cube
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 2 tbsp tomato puree (I sometimes use 1 tbsp tomato puree and 1 tbsp red pepper puree)

Veggies

• 1 medium aubergine
• 2 red peppers
• 1 red onion
• 1 courgette
• 2 ears of sweetcorn
• 50g butter, melted
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 2-3 cloves minced garlic
• Zest and juice of a lemon
• Salt and pepper to taste

Garlic & Herb Drizzle

• 75g yoghurt
• 1 tbsp tahini
• 100g feta
• 8-10 sprigs fresh parsley
• 1 clove garlic, minced

Instructions

Freekeh

1. Add the freekeh to a medium/large saucepan. Rinse a few times until the water runs clear. Add fresh water before leaving to soak for 2hrs.
2. Once done, drain, and rinse again once or twice until the water runs clear before topping with 1 litre of fresh water.
3. Place the saucepan on a high heat, bring to the boil, then reduce the temperature to medium low to simmer gently.
4. Add all the remaining ingredients, stir to combine and allow to simmer for 30-35 minutes, stirring occasionally. When the water all but evaporates, cover with the pan lid, take it off the heat and allow the steam to finish the cooking process for 15mins.

Veggies

1. Wash and prep the veggies, thinly slicing where appropriate.
2. Combine the butter, oil, garlic, lemon and salt and pepper in a small bowl. Mix well. Use a brush to smear all over the prepped veggies (save any leftovers to baste as you cook too!)
3. Bring a griddle pan (or BBQ) up to medium-high heat before grilling the veg.
4. Allow to cool before chopping the cooked veg into small cubes. Remove the corn from the cob.

Garlic & Herb Drizzle

1. Add all the ingredients to a blender and blitz to combine.
2. If required, add some water to loosen out the consistency.

To serve

1. Stir prepped veggies into cooked freekeh and plate up.
2. Drizzle over the garlic and herb yoghurt.