The recipes – think soups, salads, rice bowls and one-pot wonders – in nutritionist and recipe writer Sarah Pound’s new cookbook, Wholesome by Sarah, aren’t designed to be social media sensations. Rather, she’s developed a slate of simple, easy and nutritious dishes that’ll avert stressful midweek dinner situations and use ingredients you probably already have. This crunchy, savoury-sweet salad is (kind of) the exception.
“This recipe is a modified version of a Jennifer Aniston salad that went crazy on social media in 2022,” writes Pound. “I make it regularly – the flavours and textures are that good – and it never disappoints. The funny thing is, apparently Jen never even ate a salad like this.”
Sarah Pound’s herby chickpea salad with maple and tahini dressing
Serves 4
Preparation time: 20 minutes
Cooking time: 25 minutes
Ingredients
80g (½ cup) whole almonds (or any nut)
200g (1 cup) cracked freekeh, rinsed well and drained
1 tsp chicken or vegetable stock powder
400g can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
2 Lebanese cucumbers, finely diced
1 small red onion, finely diced
65g (½ cup) roughly chopped dried cranberries
1 large handful flat-leaf parsley leaves, chopped
1 large handful mint leaves, chopped
75g (½ cup) crumbled feta
Maple and tahini dressing
3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
Juice of 1 lemon
1 tsp pure maple syrup
1 tsp tahini
Salt flakes and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Method
Preheat the oven to 180°C (fan-forced).
Spread the almonds on a baking tray in a single layer. Toast in the oven for about 10–15 minutes until golden brown and fragrant. Leave to cool, then roughly chop.
Meanwhile, cook your freekeh. Combine the freekeh, 1L (4 cups) water and the stock powder in a saucepan and place over medium heat. Bring to the boil, cover with the lid, then turn down the heat to low. Cook according to the packet directions, about 20–25 minutes, until softened and chewy in texture. Drain the freekeh in a fine sieve and set aside.
Combine all the maple and tahini dressing ingredients in a small bowl or jug and whisk well. Taste and season with more salt and pepper, if needed. Set aside.
Place the freekeh, chickpeas, cucumber, red onion, dried cranberries, parsley, mint, almonds and feta in a large salad bowl, drizzle on the dressing and gently combine. Check the seasoning and add more if needed.
Wholesome by Sarah by Sarah Pound, published by Plum, RRP $44.99, photography by Mark Roper.
