Category: Salad

Gluten Free · Nuts · Salad · Vegetable-related

Watermelon Salad with Feta, Pine Nuts and Basil

Belinda

Watermelon and feta may sound like a strange combination to you, but it’s eaten this way all over the Eastern Mediterranean – the salty-sweet combination works really well. It’s a very pretty salad too.
Combined with the crunchy pine nuts and fragrant basil, this has become one of my favorite ways to enjoy this beautiful melon, and it’s reliably delicious whether I’ve managed to pick a perfect one or not.


Serves: 4 

about 1/2 medium-sized watermelon, flesh cubed or cut into slices and seeds removed
8oz/200g good-quality feta, crumbled

1/3 cup pine nuts, toasted 

handful fresh basil leaves, torn into pieces
 (I have also used fresh mint which also works well)
a few spoonfuls of extra-virgin olive oil

freshly-ground black pepper 
Combine the watermelon, feta, pine nuts and basil leaves in a large bowl or platter. Drizzle with some extra-virgin olive oil and sprinkle with pepper. Eat immediately!!

Do-ahead · Gluten Free · Salad · Whole30 compliant

Mock Potato Salad

Belinda

This is just like a potato salad, but done with cauliflower. I am realizing what an amazingly versatile vegetable cauliflower is the more I try it in different dishes. I leave the seasonings to you to experiment with. I also like to give it a bit of cayenne pepper for those who like a kick!

Serves 8


1 head fresh cauliflower
4 hard boiled eggs, chopped
2 ribs celery, diced (I always peel celery with a peeler to get rid of the stringy bits)
2 slices onion, chopped
1 tsp yellow mustard
1/2 cup good quality mayonnaise
1 tsp pickle relish
salt, pepper, garlic powder, dill, paprika, to taste (experiment a bit with the amounts of these)
Fresh flat leaf parsley, chopped

Cook cauliflower until tender. Drain and pat dry. Let cool and pull into small floret pieces. Place in a large bowl.
Mix in remaining ingredients except paprika and parsley. Chill for 2 hours.
Before serving, sprinkle on paprika and garnish with parsley.



Asian flavors · Do-ahead · Gluten Free · Nuts · Salad · Vegan · Vegetable-related

Curried cauliflower with currants and pinenuts (CleanCuisine)

Belinda

This recipe is really unusual and full of flavor.
Serves 6-8


Dressing
1/4 cup plus 2 tbsp rice wine vinegar 
1 1/2 tbsp granulated sugar
2 tsp Madras curry powder
1/4 tsp sea salt
freshly ground black pepper to taste
1/2 cup olive oil

Cauliflower
2lbs cauliflower florets
2 tbsp kosher salt
3/4 cup pine nuts, toasted (I used about 1/2 cup at most)
3/4 cup dried currants
1/3 cup raw sunflower seeds
1 small red onion, finely chopped

Method for the dressing

 In a large bowl, mix the rice vinegar and sugar until the sugar is dissolved.
Whisk in the curry powder, salt and pepper.
Very slowly, drizzle the oilve oil and whisk into the vinegar mixture until incorporated. Taste and add more salt and pepper if desired. Set the dressing aside.

Method for the cauliflower

Blanch the cauliflower in salted boiling water. Drain and add pine nuts, currants, sunflower seeds and onions. Pour the dressing over the salad, tossing lightly to mix thoroughly. Chill for 1 -2 hours before serving. (I didn’t have time to chill it for that long when I made it and it was still great warm)

Plating
Mound the salad onto a plate in a compact pile and decorate with a few cilantro leaves

Asian flavors · Do-ahead · Salad

Couscous, Orange and Carrot Salad

Belinda

I love this salad and it’s great multiplied for larger groups. It’s fresh, healthy, low calorie and tastes out of the ordinary because of the wonderful zingy dressing with all the minced ginger. This is a Canadian recipe from a book I have used to death called New Light Cooking by Anne Lindsey.

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1 3/4 cups chicken stock or water (I use chicken stock)
1 1/4 cups couscous
2 oranges,sectioned and chopped, removing the pith
1 cup coarsely shredded carrots
1/2 cup currants
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro, (coriander for the Brits!) parsley or mint. ( I use cilantro)

Ginger Vinaigrette
2 tbsp each of balsamic vinegar and fresh lemon juice
2 tbsp each of olive or vegetable oil and water
1 tbsp each of granulated sugar and minced gingerroot
1/4 tsp each of salt, freshly ground black pepper and ground cumin (I like to roast my cumin)

In a saucepan, bring water to a boil, add couscous and stir quickly to mix. Cover and remove from the heat. Let stand for 10 minutes to absorb the liquid. Using a fork, fluff the couscous and then let cool.

In a salad bowl combine oranges, carrots, currants, cilantro and couscous.

Ginger Vinaigrette- In a small bowl, whisk together the vinegar, lemon juice, oil, water, sugar, ginger, salt, pepper and cumin.  Pour the vinaigrette over the salad and toss to mix.

Asian flavors · Do-ahead · Pasta · Salad

A wonderfully tasty, easy Asian Noodle Salad to dress up or down

Belinda

 My son Oliver loves making this dish and has added whatever is in the fridge to it, eg cold shredded chicken, cooked prawns, sugar snap peas, lots of sliced scallions, peas, sliced red pepper, chopped cilantro, sliced carrot…


(You can double, treble or quadruple this recipe very easily)



Easy Asian Noodle salad     (serves 4)


1lb of noodles or spaghetti 

Sauce
4  Tablespoons soy sauce
4 garlic cloves
2 Teaspoons roasted sesame oil
1 good teaspoon red pepper flakes (or more, depending how spicy you like it)
1/2 cup vegetable oil

Cook the noodles in boiling salted water, and when al dente, drain and set aside.
Put all sauce ingredients in a food processor and add to drained warm noodles.
Toss a few times. Add whatever you like to it in the way of cooked meat, fish or raw vegetables sliced and it’s just as good adding nothing!   Serve warm or at room temp.
 It’s also a great marinade.