Almond Purée
- 150g Flaked almonds
- 300ml Water
- Pinch of sea salt
- 5g Agar-agar

Ben Boeynaems
A delicious vegan salad that serves four people.
Making the Almond Purée
Make almond juice by blitzing the flaked almonds and water in a food processor for 2 minutes. Pass through a muslin cloth or a fine sieve.
Pass through a muslin cloth or a fine sieve. Bring the juice to the boil with sea salt. Add agar-agar, allow to boil for a further minute, while stirring continuously. Chill until set. Blitz in the food processor until smooth.
Cooking the Quinoa
Rinse the quinoa and then combine it with the 100g water in a saucepan. Bring the mixture to a boil over medium-high heat, then decrease the heat a bit to maintain a gentle simmer.
Cook until the quinoa has absorbed all of the water, about 10 minutes.
Reduce heat as time goes on to maintain a gentle simmer. Remove the pot from the heat, cover, and then let the quinoa steam for 5 minutes. Remove the lid and fluff the quinoa with a fork. Season with the salt, to taste. Chill.
Cooking the Bulgur
Bring the bulgur wheat to boil in the vegetable stock. Simmer for 10 minutes until the liquid is absorbed. Leave to stand for 10 minutes and chill.
Making the Lemon Dressing
Whisk all the ingredients together.
Mix quinoa and bulgur, dress with half the lemon dressing.
Cooking the green beans
Boil for 3 minutes in salted water. ‘Shock’ in ice water.
Cooking the tenderstem broccoli
Boil for 3 minutes in salted water. ‘Shock’ in ice
water.
Dress the broccoli and green beans in the remainder of the lemon dressing.
Garlic vinaigrette, beetroot & red endive
Blend all the vinaigrette ingredients together, except the oil. Slowly add the oil to emulsify. Dress the beetroot and endive leaves in the vinaigrette.
Mustard vinaigrette & baby gem
Cut baby gem into quarters and set aside.
Whisk all the mustard vinaigrette ingredients together to emulsify the oil.
Dress baby gem in mustard vinaigrette.
Making the blanched almonds
Season with fine salt, toast at 160C for 10 minutes.
Toss regularly to ensure they do not burn.
Assembling each plate
Put a 1⁄4 of the almond purée in the centre of each plate.
Put 1⁄4 avocado on either side.
Fill the gap with a quarter of the quinoa and bulgur mix.
Place 1⁄4 of the baby gem on top of each salad.
Add a quarter of the beetroot and green vegetables on top.
Finish with radish, almonds and a few endive leaves.
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