I’ve been eating food that is more gut-healthy of late. Reducing bread and carbs like white rice. Even dairy. And my body is feeling the benefits. That heavy and bloated feeling is rare lately whereas before I could seldom go a week without gut discomfort of some sort.

Healthier eating can take a bit of extra work and planning, but it’s worth it to switch the whole family to healthier options. This reduces the work and effort. It is more expensive but we hope prices will reduce as demand increases. So we have to create that demand.

Buckwheat is a great substitute for rice. The flavour is lightly nutty but quite neutral. I like bulking up salads with it and even enjoy it with dhal instead of the usual white rice. This Moroccan salad incorporates cumin into the dressing to give it a delicious middle eastern spin. It’s great as is because the chickpeas are the protein but you can add some chicken breast to make it a more filling meal if needed.

This recipe was inspired by Miryam from the Eat Good For Life blog.

Moroccan Chickpea and Buckwheat Salad

Ingredients

• 2 cups buckwheat
• 2 carrots, chopped
• 1/2 tin cooked chickpeas
• 2 baby courgettes, chopped
• 2 green onions, chopped
• 1/2 a small green pepper chopped
• 2 Tbsp fresh dhanya (coriander), chopped
• chilli flakes, optional

Dressing

• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1/3 cup white vinegar
• 1 tsp cumin powder
• 1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds lightly crushed (opt)
• 1/2 tsp salt
• Coursely ground black pepper

Method

Cook buckwheat according to package instructions and let it cool completely.
Put the carrots, courgettes and green pepper in a bowl. Sprinkle with a few drops of water. Cover and steam in the microwave on high for 2 minutes. This is optional but does take the edge off very crunchy carrots.
In a large mixing bowl add the salad ingredients together with the buckwheat.
In a glass jar mix the dressing ingredients and pour some over the salad. Mix and taste and add more dressing as desired. Serve immediately.