(Serves 4 and can be made quickly allowing for plenty of other very serious activities) 

Ingredients 

• 4 small beetroots (cooked, vacuum-packed, with no vinegar!)
• 3 courgettes (smallish ones)
• 2 avocados
• 150g quinoa or brown rice
• Olive oil
• 2 lemons
• Tahini
• Parsley
• Mint
• Cider vinegar
• 1 garlic clove
• Block of feta / large goat’s cheese / 4 smoked trout fillets (take your pick but note the dish tastes equally good without any of them)
• Handful of walnuts

Method 

Boil the quinoa or rice, depending your preference. Note that brown rice takes more than twice as long to cook as quinoa (40 mins vs. 15 mins) so allow yourself time appropriate.

Wash and cut the courgettes into smallish chunks. Place these in a microwavable dish, cover with the juice of one lemon, a sprinkle of salt (though unnecessary in my opinion), and a generous swirl of olive oil. Cover and microwave for three minutes. If you don’t like the idea of microwaving, or indeed don’t own one, then you can easily cook them gently (using exactly the same ingredients) in a broad-based pan with the lid on – you will need to cook them for longer (perhaps 10 minutes). Leave to cool a little.

Drain the beetroot (there’s always some extra juice in the packet), cube and then put into a large salad bowl. Scoop in your two avocado, and chop in a good-sized bunch of parsley using the kitchen scissors. Cover the three ingredients with the juice of the second lemon.

Then make the dressing in a small water glass. Grate a clove over garlic into the glass. Using an ordinary kitchen fork, whisk together the garlic and 3/4 inch cider vinegar with a tsp of tahini and a generous glug of olive oil  (use slightly more oil than vinegar). Chop in four to five mint fresh mint leaves. Add salt and pepper to taste.

By this point your grain (quinoa / rice) and courgettes should have cooled slightly (they’ll be delicious warm, but will spoil the avocado if piping hot). Tip both into the bowl, making sure to use all of the lemony courgette juice. Then drizzle over your dressing and gently stir the entire mixture using a large metal spoon. Add a little more olive oil if the mixture looks too dry.

Top the salad with crumbled cheese (feta or goat’s cheese) and walnuts before serving, if using. With smoked trout, serve the salad topped only with walnuts, alongside the fillets on the plate. Or simply eat it on its own, perhaps with a spoonful of hummus – which, if using quinoa, is a perfectly balanced and nutritious meal. If you’re feeling really fancy, you can serve on a bed of freshly washed spinach.