Carrot, Beetroot, Fennel and Quinoa Salad with Miso

A wonderfully colourful veggie and quinoa salad, with a zingy fresh red miso dressing. The perfect addition to a summery salad spread, and great for do-ahead healthy lunches.

Serves 6
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cooking Time: 40 minutes

Method

• Rinse the quinoa and place in a pan big enough to accommodate it along with 3x its volume of water. Bring to the boil, and then reduce the heat and leave to simmer for 12 minutes or until just al dente.
• Wash and trim the carrots, beetroot and fennel. Place the baby beetroot into a small pan with 40g of fresh red miso and the sparkling mineral water, bring to the boil and then simmer for 20 minutes.
• Thinly slice the carrots, the fennel and savoy cabbage and place in a large mixing bowl, reserve in the fridge while the quinoa and beetroot cook.
  Strain the cooked quinoa and place on a tray to cool to room temperature. Remove the cooked beetroot and pass the cooking liquid through a fine sieve. Place the liquid in a food blender with the remaining fresh red miso and the vinegar, and blend on a high setting whilst drizzling in the olive oil to create an emulsified dressing. Put the dressing to the side, keeping it at room temperature.
• Peel the beetroot by hand, just pushing off the delicate skins to show off the beautiful colours below. Finely slice the mint and parsley and add to the sliced carrot mixture.
• On a serving dish, place the quinoa and then the mixed carrot salad. Add the peeled whole baby beets and finish the dish with the dressing.
• Garnish the salad with small mint or parsley leaves and serve.