A satisfying recipe for warm kasha and seafood salad

Kasha, or toasted buckwheat grains, makes a pleasant change from rice and pasta. Add in seafood and raw vegetables and you have an unusual — and unusually good-tasting — main-dish salad.

• Preparation and cooking time: 1 1⁄2 hours.
• Serves 4.

Ingredients:

Salad

• 250 g (1 c) kasha
• 500 ml (2 c) reduced-sodium chicken or vegetable broth
• 10 ml (2 tsp) canola oil, divided
• 1 package (500 g/1 lb) frozen mixed seafood, thawed
• 1 cucumber, diced
• 250 g (1/2 lb) sugar snap peas, sliced
• 1 bulb fennel, halved and thinly sliced
• 125 g (4 oz) radishes, thinly sliced

Dressing

• 15 ml (1 tbsp) olive oil
• 15 ml (1 tbsp) white wine vinegar
• 5 ml (1 tsp) Dijon mustard
• 30 ml (2 tbsp) chopped fresh mixed herbs
• Pepper to taste

Instructions:

1. Put the kasha in a nonstick pot, pour over the broth and bring to the boil. Cover and simmer until the kasha has absorbed all the broth, about 5 minutes.
2. Stir in half the oil, cover and cook for 10 minutes. Then remove the lid and fork up the kasha, tossing and turning to separate the grains. Cook over a very low heat, uncovered, for another hour, tossing the kasha with a fork every 10 minutes to separate the grains.
3. Meanwhile, make the dressing. Put all the ingredients in a bowl and whisk together until thoroughly mixed.
4. Heat the remaining oil in a wok or large skillet. Add the seafood and stir-fry over a moderate heat until hot, 2 to 3 minutes.
5. Add the hot seafood to the kasha together with the cucumber, sugar snap peas, fennel and radishes. Drizzle over the dressing and toss gently to mix.

• Sugar snap peas are a good source of vitamin C, and they contain more dietary fibre than ordinary peas. This is because the edible pod contributes to the fibre content.
• Most people know of buckwheat flour, but don't cook with buckwheat in whole-grain form. Yet buckwheat is a wonderfully healthy grain, containing lots of plant protein and significant amounts of the important amino acid lysine.
• Buckwheat is also an excellent source of iron and magnesium.

Each serving provides:

• Key nutrients: 390 calories, 80 calories from fat, 9 g fat, 2 g saturated fat, 0 g trans fat, 33 g protein, 43 g carbohydrates, 8 g fibre, 390 mg sodium.
• Blood pressure nutrients: 23 mg vitamin C, 149 mg magnesium, 738 mg potassium, 132 mg calcium.

• Use green beans in place of sugar snap peas.
• Instead of mixed seafood, use 500 grams (1 pound) skinless, boneless chicken or turkey breast, or lean beef or lamb steak, cut into thin strips. Stir-fry until cooked and lightly browned, then toss with the dressed kasha and vegetables.

Consider warm kasha and seafood salad for your next meal. By combining so many healthy ingredients, it's an ideal dish that's sure to please your entire family.