This light and fresh Broccoli Buckwheat Salad gets lots of flavour from the chopped semi-dried tomatoes and fresh herbs stirred through it! Gluten free, dairy free and vegan friendly (feta optional!), this satisfying salad is perfect for meal prep and packing in your lunch box.
Buckwheat. Cook the buckwheat either according to the package instructions, or using the boil method: basically, pop the buckwheat in a saucepan of boiling water like you would pasta, and cook on a rolling boil for 12 minutes. Drain thoroughly, then spread out on a tray or large plate to cool down. Set aside.
Broccoli. Chop the broccoli into small florets. Steam for 2-3 minutes or until just tender. Allow to cool.
Other Salad Ingredients. Chop the semi-dried tomatoes into small pieces. Cut the cucumber into small dice. Remove the rough stalks from the parsley and mint, then shred/chop the leaves into smaller pieces.
Assemble Salad. Combine the cooled buckwheat and broccoli together with the semi-dried tomatoes, cucumber, herbs and sunflower seeds. Squeeze over the juice of the half lemon, and drizzle over a few tablespoons of olive oil. Season with salt and pepper. Toss to combine everything.
Serve the salad with feta crumbled over the top if desired. Enjoy!
Notes
*Semi-dried tomatoes tend to come in oil, which (even when you drain the tomatoes) tends to add a little oiliness to the salad. So, adjust the amount of extra virgin olive oil you need to add as a dressing to balance this out.*You can substitute dried herbs for the fresh herbs in a pinch. I really think you need fresh mint, but dried parsley is pretty easily substituted!*If you don't want to top the salad with feta, you could also try (i) chopped toasted almonds, (ii) chickpeas or lentils, (iii) tuna or salmon, (iv) chicken. Basically, any other kind of protein you like. Even a little bacon would work pretty nicely!
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