The Hearty Salad

I have fallen in love with the idea of the hearty salad and over these hot summer months have often had it twice per day. With the constant variations on a theme it is always different. This is a whole “meal in a bowl”. This post is to inspire you to start your own combinations.

 

Choose combinations of the following:

 

Greens – either in the salad or serve the salad on a bed of greens – vary them – rocket has been a recent favourite but baby spinach and cos lettuce come in close behind.

 

Starch – whole grains – eg brown rice, quinoa, wild rice, black or red rice, faro, freekeh, wholegrain couscous etc (whatever floats your boat) or a starchy vege eg baked kumara or potato etc

 

Legumes – beans (black, pinto, cannellini, kidney… or a mixture) , lentils, peas, tofu or tempeh ….

 

Other veges – capsicum, radish, carrot, tomatoes (mmm - love the cherry tomatoes), fennel, celery, broccoli stems … (look for variations in colour, texture, taste, crunch factor).

 

Cooked veges – a mix of cooked and raw veges in a salad can be wonderful – the cooked ones can be warm or cold – lightly steamed broccoli, cauliflower, sautéed mushrooms with onions…  (if it’s a vege you can add it to a salad!)

 

Extras – fruit – blueberries, mango, strawberries, orange segments ….

                Dried fruit – cranberries, raisins, currants, dried apricots ….

                Seeds – pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, hemp seeds, or small amounts of chopped nuts (raw not roasted)

                Raw Saukerkraut – I have some red and it kicks up the colour and flavour (naturally fermented foods can be so good for the gut).

                Mediterranean stuff – olives, capers, artichokes …

 

Dressings – can be as simple as a drizzle of balsamic vinegar, fruit- infused vinegar (raspberry vinegar is wonderful) squeezed lemon or lime juice.

Try hummus with some orange juice, mustard and vinegar,

exotic dressings – with pureed red peppers and sundried tomatoes,

use watered-down tapenade and add  other flavours,

pesto,

try curry, red or green Thai curry paste in dressings,

silken tofu blended with mustard and vinegar makes a mayo-like dressing.

Tahini dressing – start with tahini and lemon juice and add other flavours to taste – if it’s too thick thin it with water or juice.