In this beetroot labneh dukkah salad from Leon's new cookbook Happy Salads, the lightly salted labneh adds a creamy subtle richness to this dish and complements the beetroot so much that it blushes pink.
I've long been a fan of the Leon chain of healthy fast food restaurants. Instead of yet another flaccid sandwich, you know you can count on Leon for interesting food and loads of delicious salads. I almost always get the superfood salad, which is rammed with quinoa and green veggies.
About Leon: When Henry Dimbleby, John Vincent and Allegra McEvedy opened their first restaurant
on London’s Carnaby Street in July 2004 their aim was to change the face of fast food.
Six months after opening, Leon was named the Best New Restaurant in Great Britain at the
Observer Food Monthly Awards (by a judging panel that included Rick Stein, Nigel Slater,
Heston Blumenthal, Ruth Rogers and Jay Rayner). There are now 33 restaurants serving over
120,000 people a week.
Now they've created their dessert island salads book and it's packed with over 100 salad recipes, plus loads of tips for salad toppings and recipes for dressings. These are certainly not dull salads: they're filled with flavours and textures.
In this beautifully-shot book there are lots of meat and fish salads, but as a veggie I'm happy to just leave them out. All those lovely veggies, toppings and dressing are all I need.
Recipes include: Paella Deli Salad; Pink Quinoa; Wasabi Steak; Greek Salad with Deep Fried Feta; The Original Superfood Salad; Kale Caesar; Very Peri-Peri Chicken; Get Your Freekeh On; The Has-Bean; Hearty Chokes & Truffle; and Middle Eastern Spiced Quinoa.
Check out my other salad recipes!
Green salad
Mango salad
Healthy salad recipes
Disclosure: Labneh dukkah salad recipe from Leon: Happy Salads by Jane Baxter and John Vincent. Published by Octopus Books. Recipe reprinted with permission.

Leon's Beetroot Labneh Dukkah Salad
Ingredients
Serves 1
- 7 0z (200g) beetroot , roasted and cut into chunks
- 3 ½ oz (100g) cooked Puy lentils
- 4 tablespoons marinated red onions see below
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
- a small bunch of watercress
- 2 radishes sliced (optional)
- 1 ¾ oz (50g) labneh
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh mint
- 2 teaspoons dukkah
- salt and freshly ground black pepper
For the Marinated Red Onions
- 2 red onions finely sliced or chopped
- 2 teaspoons soft brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon good red wine or
- balsamic vinegar
- a good pinch of salt
Instructions
For the marinated red onions
- Toss the onions in the sugar, vinegar and salt.
- Cover and leave to marinate at room temperature for anything from 20 minutes to a few hours.
For the beetroot, labneh and dukkah salad
- Mix the beetroot chunks with the lentils and red onions. Stir through the olive oil and balsamic, and season well.
- Arrange the watercress on a plate and top with the beetroot. Finish with the radish, labneh, mint and dukkah.
Nutrition
The nutritional information provided is approximate and can vary depending on several factors, so is not guaranteed to be accurate. Please see a registered dietician for special diet advice.
Karen Howden
my favourite salad is a waldoff salad with plenty of walnuts