Roasted Corn, Sweet Potato Noodle and Avocado Salad with Toasted Buckwheat Dukkah
Developed by renowned nutritionist Judith Wurtman this colourful twist on a Cobb salad is packed full of ingredients to help increase mood-enhancing serotonin.
To prepare the dressing, combine all the ingredients in a small bowl, mix and set aside.
Preheat your oven to 170 C (fan).
Toss the spiralized sweet potato in olive oil (I used 3 tbsp), the sea salt and some freshly ground black pepper.
Prick the cherry tomatoes and place them, along with the red peppers and the spiralized sweet potato on a lined baking tray. Bake for 15 minutes until the potato begins to change colour.
Remove the baking tray from the oven and transfer the sweet potato to a bowl. Toss the tomatoes and peppers in 1 tbsp olive oil and the red wine vinegar and return to the oven. Bake for a further 30 minutes until the vegetables are tender.
Boil the corn in a medium sized pot of water for 7-10 minutes. Remove from the pot and drain well.
Boil the kale in the same cooking water the corn was cooked in for one minute, or until it wilts but still retains its vibrant green.
Brush the corn with 1 teaspoon of olive oil and dust with a little sea salt.
Place the corn onto a heated griddle, rotating for about a minute, until lightly brown on all sides.
Remove the corn from the heat and slice the kernels off into a large salad bowl.
While the corn is still warm, add a dash of olive oil and half the lemon zest. Season with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper. Stir in the roasted tomato, sliced roasted red peppers and any juices left over from roasting. Add half the Parmesan.
Turn the oven up to 200 C (fan).
Dress the sweet potato with the remaining Parmesan cheese, olive oil, chilli flakes and season with freshly ground black pepper. Arrange on the lined baking tray in a single layer and return to the oven for five minutes to crisp up slightly.
Remove the sweet potato from the oven and add the remaining lemon zest while it is still hot.
Slice the avocado lengthwise into three slices. Marinate in salt and lemon juice.
Plate the kale and spoon on the sweet potato, sweetcorn mixture and avocado. Top with the dukkah, spring onion, coriander and dressing.
for the toasted buckwheat dukkah
To make the dukkah heat a flat, heavy bottomed pan over a low heat. Add the black rice, cover for 15 minutes, shaking every few minutes until the rice starts to pop. Remove the rice, turn the heat up slightly and add the buckwheat.
Stir the buckwheat continuously over the heat for around 10 minutes, until the kernels crackle, pop and go brown.
Place the seeds in an oven tray and bake for 7 minutes at 180C fan.
With a pestle and mortar, grind the cooked rice to a fine powder. Add buckwheat, seeds and all the other ingredients, and grind so they are broken up but not powdered.
This makes eight servings. Store for up to a month in an airtight jar.
Notes
Note - although the recipe specifies 10 minutes prep time, be prepared to spend the entire 45 minutes standing at the kitchen counter in between spiralizing, dicing, squeezing, marinading and assembling.