Sisters Jasmine and Melissa Hemsley consult about and cook nourishing foods for their London based wellbeing company Hemsley & Hemsley. As  fans of Clearspring they wanted to share this simple roasted vegetable salad with Clearspring’s Umeboshi plum puree playing the starring role.

Umeboshi,  the tangy salty pickled plum, is a traditional Japanese fruit -  revered since ancient times as both a food and potent health tonic, its particularly beneficial to your digestion so learn to love its unique flavour!

Ingredients: serves 2

Salad

• 60g quinoa, we used black quinoa but use red or white too (ideally soak 8 hours or overnight, then drain and rinse for maximum nutrition and digestion)
• 1 medium fennel, quartered
• 2 medium carrots, sliced lengthways on the angle
• 10 asparagus (when not in season, green beans or tender stem broccoli work well too)
• 3 pink radishes sliced
• 1 tablespoon of black and white sesame seeds
• 1 teaspoon of coconut oil
• 2 spring onions sliced on the angle
• a little fresh mint and coriander

Umeboshi dressing

• 1 tbs umeboshi puree (Clearspring)
• 2 tbs water
• 4 tbs sesame oil
• 1/2 inch piece of ginger
• 1 teaspoon tamari (Clearspring)
• 1 teaspoon raw honey
• optional - a little fresh red chilli to your taste

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 200C.
2. Drain and rinse the quinoa and cook in hot water or hot stock (for more flavour and nourishment) according to the packet instructions, approximately 10-15 minutes. Drain and set aside
3. Quarter the fennel and slice the carrots lengthways on the angle -  rub with coconut oil and roast for 8-10 mins or until tender
4. Toast the sesame seeds in a dry frying pan, remove and set aside
5. in the same pan, dry fry the asparagus by laying out on the pan, not too close and let them dry fry and brown on a medium heat for 1-2 mins on each side, depending on their thickness
6. Prepare the dressing by blending all the ingredients or chopping everything finely and whisking with a fork or shaking in a jam jar
7. Slice the radishes and spring onions
8. Roughly chop the mint and coriander
9. Spoon the quinoa into the centre of the plate and arrange the carrots, fennel and asparagus in the centre.  Scatter the radishes, spring onions, herbs and toasted seeds around

Ingredients (Serves 4)

• 150gms gobo (burdock root) or any root vegetable
• 50g carrots
• 1tsp dried red chilli pepper
• 1tbsp Clearspring Sunflower Oil
• 1tsp Clearspring Sesame Oil
• 1tbsp white sesame seeds
• 2tbsp Clearspring Kombu dashi (Kelp stock)
  2tbsp sake
• 1tbsp Clearspring Rice Malt Syrup
• 1tbsp Clearspring Soya Sauce
• ½tbsp Clearspring Mirin

Method

Peel the skin of gobo lightly and cut into very thin strips (Julienne cut 3mmx3cm) or buy frozen gobo from Japanese supermarket.
Soak them in cold water for about 5 minutes and drain well. Peel the carrots and cut in the same way as gobo.
Heat sunflower oil in a frying pan-add gobo and carrots and fry for 3minutes. Add red chilli pepper, dashi, sake, soy sauce and mirin. Reduce the heat and cook until the liquid is absorbed. Remove from the heat and add sesame oil and a sprinkle of the sesame seeds on top.

This is a great recovery meal with healthy soba noodles and nourishing kuzu broth.

Serves 4

Ingredients

400g Clearspring 100% Buckwheat Soba Noodles
80g carrot, cut into thin strips
2 leek, thinly sliced
200g age (deep fried tofu), wiped off any excess oil on the surface with paper towel, sliced into thin strips
12 lotus root slices (soaked in water for 2 hours)

Stock Soup:
8 dried Clearspring Shiitake

20cmx5cm Clearspring Kombu
800ml cold water

Soak the Clearspring Kombu and Clearspring Shiitake in water at least 30 minutes in a saucepan.

Seasonings:
3 tbsp Clearspring Tamari Soya Sauce
2 tbsp Clearspring Mikawa Mirin or Clearspring Rice Mirin
1 tbsp sake
1/2 tsp Clearspring Traditional Sea Salt

To make ankake (thick sauce):
2 tbsp Clearspring Kuzu, dissolved in 2 tbsp cold water

Garnishing:
2 tsp ginger, grated
1 tbsp Clearspring Toasted Sesame Oil
1 tbsp toasted sesame seeds
4 mangetout, lightly boiled, sliced into a half

Method

1. To make the dashi, bring the kombu and shiitake in water to the boil, but take the kombu out just before boiling.

2. Simmer the shiitake for 10 minutes, then take them out. (skim a scum off if it is needed)

3. Add the seasonings (soy sauce, mirin, sake, salt) to the dashi, bring it to the boil.

4. Add the carrot, leek, age (deep fried tofu) and lotus root, then simmer with low heat until the carrot is cooked.

5. In the meantime, prepare the soba noodle by following an instructions on a package. *be careful that it will overflow when the soba noodles are cooking. Add water to the pan or reduce the heat if it  is required. Place the soba noodle on serving plates.

6. To make the ankake sauce, while the sauce is simmering with low heat, slowly pour the kuzu and water mixture into the pan (before you pour the mixture, give a stir to combine well). Stirring for 1-2 minutes until the sauce thickens.

7. Serve the ankake sauce on top of the soba noodle, then garnishing with ginger, give a drizzle of the sesame oil and sesame seeds to add an extra flavour.