Spring dish inspiration from a Michelin-trained chef Romain Avril
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Spring is a great time to try a new plant-based recipe, with fresh local ingredients starting to appear where you shop. To help get you inspired, we teamed up with Michelin-trained chef, Romain Avril, to bring you a simple recipe that celebrates all the best flavours of the season – minty peas, asparagus and fava bean salad.
Together we were at the Toronto Food & Drink Fest recently to showcase how delicious and accessible adding more plants to your plate can be!
Spring flavours from Canadian farmers
When you’re shopping for your ingredients follow the chef’s advice and look for fresh, seasonal ingredients grown right here by Canadian farmers.
Focusing on local staples like peas and asparagus, this recipe highlighted that eating less meat is a celebration of flavour and the best of what the season has to offer.
Try the recipe: Minty peas, asparagus and fava beans salad (serves 4)
Quinoa:
- ½ lb black quinoa
- 1 ltr vegetable stock
- ½ onion (cut in 1/4)
- ½ carrot (peeled and chopped)
- 2 bay leaves to taste salt
In a medium pot, bring all the ingredients together.
Cook until tender, remove the aromatics and cool down.
Vegetables:
- 5 ¾ cup fava beans
- 4 cups English peas
- 12 pcs green asparagus
- Salt to taste
Bring a pot of salted water to boil, individually cook each vegetables and refresh in ice water to stop the cooking and fix the chlorophyll.
Don’t overcook them, you want to keep them crunchy and tender.
Cut the asparagus to 2–3-inch pieces.
Lemon dressing:
- 1 tbsp grainy Dijon
- 1/3 cup lemon juice
- 2/3 cup ml olive oil
- Salt to taste
Mix the mustard and lemon juice until smooth and emulsify by whisking the olive oil slowly into the mixture.
Season with salt and pepper.
Garnishes:
- 2 tbsp lemon zest
- 12 leaves of mint (chopped)
- 6 breakfast radishes (sliced thin)
- 4 tbsp vegan parmesan (shaved)
- 2 cups of baby arugula
Assembling:
- In a salad bowl, mix the green vegetables with the garnishes and 4 tbsp of the dressing.
- In a separate bowl combine quinoa and the rest of the dressing.
- Season with salt and pepper.
- Plate, starting with the quinoa then top up with the greens.
You can add more radishes and vegan parmesan on top for presentation.
This recipe is shared courtesy of Chef Romain Avril, from his popular cookbook, The Vegan Bridge.
About Chef Romain Avril
Born in Paris, France, Romain Avril is a celebrity chef now based in Toronto, Ontario. He obtained his bachelor’s degree in French and Chinese gastronomy in while concurrently working at 1 and 2-star Michelin restaurants as well as Relais et Chateaux venues.
He was a guest judge twice on Food Network Canada's Top Chef and a finalist on Food Network Chopped Canada. He won his episode of Recipe for Disaster and has made over 100 appearances on television and radio.
Get your plan
Try our meatless meal planner to reduce your carbon emissions while making food choices that help improve the lives of animals.
All photos were taken by Michael Morreale