These are some uncertain times were living through right now. I hope all of you are making smart choices, looking after yourselves and your loved ones, and checking in to see if you can help with those who are more vulnerable in your community.
This version of the blog might be new, but I am not new to blogging or consuming lots of food-based media across social platforms. What is different, however, is the comments I’ve been seeing.
I’ve been seeing a lot of comments on posts of people shaming each other or the original poster about ingredients being used in recipes they’re publishing in a time of social distancing, self-isolation and quarantine.
During a time when there should be more compassion.
Don’t judge people for what they do or do not have in their pantries, fridges and freezers.
Sure there are common staples, but we all have different diets and different likes and dislikes, so while one fridge might have feta or goats cheese to try out a new marinading recipe doing the rounds, another might not.
And you know what? That’s okay.
You don’t have to consume every piece of media that comes your way. You don’t have to shame a recipe developer or a person you’ve never met for having an ingredient on hand that you don’t.
The internet is heaving with food bloggers. Google a protein, a pantry staple and a vegetable and you will find heaps of things you can cook with what you have available to you.
I can give you a recipe for this Chickpea, Tuna and Broccoli Salad, but it doesn’t mean you can’t take the idea and run with it, swapping out things you don’t have or don’t like.
I might like it this way, but how would you prefer it? Less green veggies? More leafy greens instead (which personally I’m not a fan of)? Don’t like dukkah? Have you got some pistachios in the back of your pantry you don’t know what to do with? Crush ‘em up and sub those instead. Hate broccoli? Roast some potatoes instead. Skip the tuna if you’re a vegetarian or hate the smell. Add chicken if that floats your boat.
Just don’t hoard groceries, eat healthy and be kind and courteous to each other, especially to retail hospitality and medical staff. Let this become a time when we looked out for each other, instead of a time filled with panic. Stay safe, peoples.
Chickpea, Tuna and Broccoli Salad
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 heads of broccoli
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- ¼ teaspoon chilli flakes, optional
- Pinch of salt
- 4 eggs
- 2 handfuls green beans, stalk ends removed*
- 400 g tinned chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- 185 g tinned tuna packed in oil, reserve one tablespoon of oil*
- 2 tablespoons dukkah*
- 2 tablespoons fresh herbs, finely chopped*
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 190°C.
- Wash and dry the broccoli, slice off the bottom of the stalk and discard. Using a vegetable peeler, scrape off the woody outside layer of the stalk and discard.2 heads of broccoli
- Halve the stalk and chop into bite sized pieces. Break down the broccoli into smaller florets and add it all to a baking sheet.
- Toss the broccoli florets and stalk pieces with the oil, chilli flakes, if using, and the salt. Roast for 20 minutes, stirring once half way through.1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil, ¼ teaspoon chilli flakes, Pinch of salt
- Meanwhile, boil the eggs to you liking. I tend to cover them with cold water until they are just submerged, and cook them for a further 6 minutes after the water has started to boil. Rinse in cold water immediately to stop them cooking further. Peel and set aside.4 eggs
- When the broccoli is roasted, allow it to cool for five minutes and then add it all to a salad bowl. Top with the green beans, chickpeas, tuna and reserved oil, dukkah and herbs.2 handfuls green beans, 400 g tinned chickpeas, 185 g tinned tuna packed in oil, 2 tablespoons dukkah*, 2 tablespoons fresh herbs
- Cut the eggs in half, add them on top, and serve! (Or keep the eggs whole and divide the salad into four for an easy meal prep office lunch).
Cook along with me
Notes
- I love green beans raw, so I let their natural sweetness shine in this salad. If you don’t like them raw, that’s totally fine, they just need to be blanched in some boiling water for a minute, and then refreshed under cold water. Pat them dry from most of the moisture before adding them to the salad.
- I don’t make a dressing for this salad as the reserved tuna oil, dukkah and herbs create enough flavour to carry the salad. You can use any tuna flavour you like, though one packed in oil will work better in this recipe than one packed in water. If you like chilli then I highly recommend you try the salad with a chilli-infused tuna.
- You can also choose your preferred flavour of dukkah. I’m currently going through a packet of pistachio dukkah flavoured with thyme, instead of the traditional hazelnut one. See what you’ve got tucked away in your pantry that you might have forgotten about!
- Same goes for the herbs. Use what you have! Fresh will work best in this salad, but a combination of two or three, or just one, will work well. For this is used a mix of basil, parsley and mint.
Nutrition
3 Comments
Sounds well balanced and healthy, and looks delicious!
This is my kind of salad. Love the use of dukkah in this. Thanks for sharing with us on Fiesta Friday!
Yum, I love chickpeas! This looks delicious and so well balanced! Thank you for sharing at Fiesta Friday this week!