Winter quinoa and duck egg salad

All of us have our go-to recipes – the ones we've made time and again and they never fail to disappoint. One of ours is a simple, yet super-healthy winter salad, and it’s really filling, not to mention absolutely delicious.

To serve two, you'll need:
1.5 - 2 cups of quinoa
A bunch of asparagus, grilled in salt and oil
2 duck eggs, poached (or hen’s eggs)
2 large handfuls of rocket
2 handfuls of small-ish potatoes

For the dressing:
Half a cup of olive oil
1 heaped teaspoon of wholegrain mustard
1 teaspoon of honey
A splash of cider vinegar (optional)

Method:
1. Boil the potatoes and add the quinoa to a separate pan of boiling water (you can buy it pre-cooked, too). 2. Roll the asparagus in oil and sea salt, then pop them under the grill for ten minutes or so.
3. When the potatoes, quinoa, and asparagus are nearly done, drop your eggs into another pan of boiling water with a splash of vinegar.
4. Drain the potatoes and quinoa and place them into a large bowl with the asparagus. Add the dressing and mix everything together before splitting the mixture into two bowls.
5. Top each dish with your freshly poached egg, rocket and a good sprinkling of sea salt and pepper. Divine!
 

Spiced up stir-fry

If you’ve tried those ready-to-cook stir fry packs in the supermarket, you’ll know they’re nothing but beansprouts. 


Now, while we’re a fan of those little leaf-topped beans, there are so many more tasty ingredients you can add to one of the healthiest, quickest meals you can make. Better still, you really can throw in almost any old vegetable so it’s a great way to use up odds and ends, too.

Here’s how we make it (or at least, how we did the last time – it changes regualarly!)

Ingredients (makes enough for two):

1 large handful of curly cale (be generous; cale shrinks to nothing when cooked)
1 large handful of bamboo shoots (or beansprouts, if you prefer)
1 carrot
1 packet of pre-marinated tofu
4-5 stalks of asparagus
Half a pepper, any colour
1 medium onion
1-2 cloves of garlic
1-2 packets of ribbon noodles (depending how hungry you are)
A splash of soy sauce
Sprinkling of chilli flakes
The sauce of your choice

Method:


1. Add the onion, garlic, carrot and asparagus to a large oiled wok and fry for about two minutes.
2. Throw in the other vegetables, then noodles, then sauce. 
3. Heat through and serve while hot.


P.S. Our favourite sauce is rich Hoi Sin – but use whichever you like.