Mediterranean Red, White and Green Salad

So recently I read a review on Kaffeine and they discribed my food as Mediterranean, this salad is the exception. I prefer to label my cooking style as nomadic and slightly dysfunctional (in a good way).
My ideas come from staring at a white wall for 3 hours every Friday afternoon then I write the following weeks menu. This salad however was a mistake, my vegetable supplier didn't come through with the goods one day, so I had to make something up with what I had in the larder. Thankfully I was on fire that day after a restful weekend and came up with this delightful, bright and healthy salad.

4 beetroot
2 red onions
2 red peppers
200g wild garlic washed
100g feta
50g green olives
Sea salt and cracked pepper to season
Extra virgin olive oil

PESTO:
1 small bunch basil
25g pine nuts
30g parmesan
1 clove garlic
70ml extra virgin olive oil
Pinch of sea salt

METHOD:
Peel beetroot and cut into 2cm cubes then lay out on a baking tray and season with a little salt, pepper and drizzle over 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Peel onions, slice in half and remove the top and bottom then slice 1cm lengthways and lay down one side of a separate baking tray. Cut peppers in half and remove the seeds and stalks, cut peppers into quarters and lay next to onions on the same tray. Season onion and peppers with salt, pepper and drizzle over 3 tablespoons olive oil. Place beetroot, onion and peppers in a pre-heated oven set at 200oC for 20 minutes, stir and roast for a further 15 minutes.
In the mean time toast the pine nuts in a fry pan over medium heat should take around 4 minutes. Grate the parmesan and peel garlic then place basil leaves, pine nuts, parmesan, garlic, olive oil and salt in food processor and blend together for 1 minute.
Place large pot over medium heat and add a dash of olive oil followed by the wild garlic and season with a pinch of salt and pepper, cook till the leaves are just wilted and remove from pot into side bowl.
Once the vegetables have roasted and cooled slightly its time to construct the salad, lay half of the wild garlic over large platter followed by half the beetroot, onion and peppers. Crumble some feta over the roasted vegetables then distribute half the olives, lastly drizzle over desired amount of pesto
and repeat the layer, serve as soon as possible.

Red Quinoa Salad

Quinoa's protein is of an unusually high quality. It is a complete protein, with an essential amino acid balance close to the ideal ... similar to milk!
This is the perfect all year round salad, nutty, juicy sweet, bitter, and that dreaded word 'healthy'.

250g Red quinoa

3 oranges

200g black olives
200g cashew nuts
1 teaspoon turmeric powder
8 large basil leaves
100g rocket
3 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
Extra virgin olive oil
Sea salt
Cracked Pepper

Method:

First cook the Quinoa as instructed on the packet once cooked run the quinoa under clod water to cool down.
On grilling tray evenly spread out the olives and drizzles with just enough olive oil to coat the olives then crack in pepper and place under grill on high heat to roast, when the olives start to sizzle move the olives round the tray so that all sides of olives are evenly roasted, this will take around 15 minutes.
Once olives are roasted spoon out of tray leaving the olive juice in the tray, add the cashew nuts to the tray and sprinkle with turmeric drizzle over the honey and liberally sprinkle with salt and pepper and mix together with your hands. Roast the cashew nuts under a hot grill turning every 2 minutes so all sides are evenly roasted, this should take 6 minutes.
Place the cooked quinoa, olives and cashew nuts in a large mixing bowl. Peel the oranges and cut in half and then cut in half again and slice the oranges in to small chunks and add to the salad, roughly tear basil into salad, add the balsamic and mix together. Taste salad and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper and serve.