A Runner Bean Salad

Here’s a recipe for a vibrant and nutritious salad featuring sliced runner beans, grilled peach slices, feta cheese, roasted hazelnuts, beetroot, and quinoa, all topped with a mustard dressing. This recipe serves 2 people.

I was looking at reproducing an excellent salad I had a few days ago at The Chapel in Abergavenny. Always serving excellent lunchtime fare with a very quirky and original take. This particular salad was a standout for me and I often feel that good food needs to be showcased. The runner beans should be the main feature. I’m hoping I’ve done it justice and that others will visit. Abergavenny is a great town anyway!

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Ingredients

For the Salad:

• 100g quinoa
• 200g or more of lettuce (roughly chopped), microgreens and other small salad leaves including rocket/arugula. I can see this being varied extensively depending on what is available in the garden and the grocer – I leave that up to you!
• 100g runner beans, sliced lengthways
• 1 large peach, sliced into wedges
• 100g cooked beetroot, diced into 1 or 1½ inch cubes
• 50g feta cheese, cubed
• 30g roasted hazelnuts, roughly chopped
• 2 tablespoons olive oil (for grilling)

For the Mustard Dressing:

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 1 tablespoon honey or maple syrup
• 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar or lemon juice
• Salt and pepper to taste

Preparation Time

• Prep time: 15 minutes
• Cooking time: 20 minutes
• Total time: 35 minutes

Preparation

1. Cook the Quinoa

• Rinse the quinoa under cold water.
• In a small pot, combine the quinoa with double the amount of water (200ml).
• Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer for 15 minutes, or until the water is absorbed and the quinoa is fluffy.
• Remove from heat, fluff with a fork, and let it cool.

2. Prepare the Runner Beans

• While the quinoa is cooking, bring a pot of water to boil.
• Blanch the sliced runner beans for 2-3 minutes until they are tender but still crisp.
• Drain and immediately plunge them into ice water to retain their colour and crunch. Drain again.

3. Grill the Peaches

• Heat a grill pan over medium heat and brush it lightly with olive oil.
• Grill the peach slices for 2-3 minutes on each side until they have nice grill marks and are slightly softened. Set aside.

4. Assemble the Salad

• In a large bowl, combine the cooked quinoa, blanched runner beans, diced beetroot, and grilled peach slices.
• Crumble the feta cheese over the salad.
• Sprinkle the roasted hazelnuts on top.

5. Make the Mustard Dressing

• In a small bowl or jar, whisk together the olive oil, Dijon mustard, honey or maple syrup, and apple cider vinegar or lemon juice.
• Season with salt and pepper to taste.

6. Dress the Salad

• Drizzle the mustard dressing over the salad just before serving.
• Toss gently to combine and serve immediately.

Nutritional Information (Per Serving)

• Calories: ~450 kcal
• Protein: ~12g
• Fat: ~25g
  • Saturated Fat: ~6g