Smoky Lentil & Tahini Salad | Plant-Based Iron

Published by

Jasmine

on

Today we’re kicking off my plant-based iron series, where I share recipes to support healthy iron levels (check out more about the topic here). These are great to rotate in during your period to ensure you’re replenishing lost iron. If you have a true deficiency, you would also want to speak to your doctor to find the right supplement for you because it can be hard to rebuild from very low levels. All that being said, let’s dive into making this salad and why I chose these ingredients…

INGREDIENTS

Salad:

Freekeh

Fresh Parsley

Cherry tomatoes

Bell pepper (I used red, yellow would also work)

Rocket

Beluga lentils (or another kind – precooked)

Spring onion

Cashew nuts

Pumpkin seeds

Dressing:

Tahini

Smoked paprika

Garlic

Lemon juice

TIPS & NOTES

You can enjoy this salad standalone, if you’re vegan or vegetarian (if you eat dairy, I do NOT recommend adding something like feta due to the calcium content). However if you eat red meat, you can enjoy a smaller portion as a side alongside a high-quality steak every once in a while to really maximise those benefits. They’re lower in iron, but sardines or anchovies would also work really nicely (and every little helps).

Whilst I usually encourage using what you have to hand, with this salad, I’ve included each ingredient for a reason. I was looking to combine foods with iron, minimise compounds that limit absorption and include ingredients that boost it. So, we don’t have any calcium-rich foods in here and we’ve included plenty of ingredients that contain Vitamin C to boost absorption. The cashew nuts, tahini, pumpkin seeds, freekeh and lentils all contain phytates, which can block iron absorption, but the Vitamin C will help offset this, as will the sheer density of iron in this meal.

If you want to prep this ahead for the week, simply keep the rocket separate, prep the salad as below and just toss those through immediately before eating.

Smoky Tahini Lentil Salad

  • Servings: 2
  • Difficulty: Easy
  • Print

An iron-optimised plant-based salad

No special equipment or advance prep needed

Ingredients

  • Juice of 1/2 a lemon
  • 25g of tahini
  • 1 tsp of smoked paprika
  • 1 garlic clove (finely chopped, crushed or grated)
  • 40g of dried freekeh (rinsed)
  • 1 400g can of beluga lentils (c.250g drained) (drained and rinsed)
  • 1 spring onion (chopped)
  • 1 red pepper (cut into chunks)
  • 150g of cherry tomatoes (halved)
  • A handful (c. 3-5g) of parsley (large stems removed and finely chopped)
  • 35g of cashew nuts
  • 35g of pumpkin seeds
  • 40g of rocket
  • Salt and pepper to taste

Directions

  1. Cook the freekeh with salt and pepper with 60g of water (this should take 15 mins or so) and leave to cool
  2. Add the cashews and pumpkin seeds to a frying pan on a very low heat and toast until slightly fragrant (5-7 mins), then roughly chop
  3. Combine the tahini, lemon juice, smoked paprika and garlic with some salt and pepper and a little water (start with 1 tbsp, add a second if needed) and mix until creamy and pourable
  4. Toss together the tomatoes, freekeh, lentils, rocket (unless meal-prepping), cashews, pumpkin seeds, spring onion and parsley together with the tahini dressing and enjoy

Let me know if you try this iron-boosted salad!

Leave a comment