Vegan buckwheat and grapefruit salad

Vegan buckwheat and grapefruit salad with fennel, walnuts and a mustard dressing: fresh, nutty and well balanced – ideal as a light lunch or side dish.

At a glance

• Serves 2
• Prep time: 15 min
• Cooking time: 15 min
• Total time: 30 min
• Calories: 420 kcal per serving
• Protein: 9 g
• Fat: 24 g
• Carbs: 42 g

Ingredients

• 100g buckwheat
• 1 grapefruit
• 1 fennel bulb
• 40g walnuts
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tsp mustard
• 1 tsp maple syrup
• 1 pinch of salt

Method

You’ll need: frying pan · saucepan · chopping board · knife · mixing bowl · sieve

1. Cook the buckwheat in salted water until tender. Drain it and leave it to steam dry and cool briefly.
2. Peel the grapefruit and cut out the segments, catching the juice in a bowl as you go.
3. Cut the fennel into thin strips. Toast the walnuts in a dry frying pan and chop them roughly.
4. Whisk the grapefruit juice, olive oil, mustard, maple syrup and salt into a dressing. Balance it between fruity, mild and slightly savoury.
5. Mix the buckwheat, grapefruit segments and fennel with the dressing. Fold everything together gently so the segments stay juicy.
6. Arrange the salad and scatter the walnuts over the top. Best served slightly chilled or at room temperature.

Good to know

A salad like this feels light without being dull. Fresh and crunchy, with just the bitter edge that makes it interesting.

Swaps

Walnuts → pecans (similarly nutty, also with unsaturated fats). Grapefruit → orange (milder, also with vitamin C). Buckwheat → quinoa (a little more protein). Maple syrup → date syrup (fuller flavour).

Allergens

Contains walnuts and mustard as allergens. Generally suitable for children, though grapefruit's bitter note tends to suit older children better; fine during pregnancy – with grapefruit, the only thing to watch is possible interactions with certain medicines.

Dairy-free recipes