Moroccan Orange and Sultana Salad

Another healthy winter salad for Meat Free Monday, packed with fruit, nuts and seeds, made with the first of the blood oranges. I love the surprise of blood oranges, from the outside they can be uniform orange, but inside their colour varies from flecked with red to dark crimson.

Moroccan Orange and Sultana Salad

Dietary: Vegan | Serves 4-6

Ingredients:

• 4 oranges
• 1 small red onion, finely sliced
• 2 tbsps wine or sherry vinegar
• 4 tbsps extra virgin olive oil or argon oil
• 50g sultanas (or raisins)
• About 20 black olives, pitted
• 1 tbsp pomegranate syrup
• A handful of fresh mint, chopped
• 40g flaked almonds, toasted
• 2 tbsps sunflower seeds
• Rocket, watercress or lambs lettuce, washed

Method:

1. Place the sultanas and pomegranate syrup in a small saucepan, just cover with water and bring to the boil. Remove from the heat and leave to stand for 15 minutes. Drain the sultanas but put any juices into a bowl for the dressing.
2. Cut the oranges into segments, collecting any juice by working over the bowl where you have kept the sultana juice. Whisk in the sherry vinegar and olive oil or argon oil to make the dressing and season well.
3. Toss the orange segments, sultanas, mint, sunflower seeds, almonds, onions and olives in a little dressing. Arrange the rocket, watercress or lambs lettuce on a plate and top with the orange salad