Middle Eastern Freekeh Fridge Raid Salad

Now that the weather is getting slightly more spring like, we are slowly moving into salad season. I love a salad, but it’s got to be full of texture and flavour. Crunchy, salty, zingy, slightly sweet and packed full of goodness. I made this freekeh fridge raid salad a few weeks ago and it was delicious. I’ve included a rough guide of how to make it below, but it really is up to you. Makes great leftover lunches too.

(Serves how ever many you want - £2.46 approx. per serving)

1. You can substitute the grains with whatever you have in your cupboards (I used the dregs of a few open packets I had of freekeh, black rice, and bulgur wheat). I always like to cook grains in chicken/veg stock for added flavour. Once cooked, drain and set aside to cool to room temperature before adding the rest of your ingredients.
2. I went for a can of chickpeas, a sad chopped red pepper, a couple of courgettes which I sliced and lightly fried and some chopped spinach.
3. In terms of herbage, use whatever you have. I had some mint and parsley in the fridge so chucked that in.
4. For some sweet/crunchy notes, I added some pomegranate seeds which needed using and a handful of dried cranberries for a bit of sweetness. Again you could use sultanas or chopped apricots, whatever you fancy.
5. And for an added salty hit, some crumbled feta over the top is always a must in any salad in my opinion.
6. For a dressing, simply mix a few tbsps extra virgin olive oil with the zest and juice of a lemon or lime, 1/2 tsp sumac, 1/2 tsp cumin, 1/2 tsp coriander and 1/4 tsp cinnamon.
7. Toss everything together and enjoy.