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.
