Beautiful Raw Root Salad

Recipe courtesy of Psychologies Magazine (September 2016).

‘When we look at beautiful foods, our digestive system starts to wake up, so we might argue that we start eating with our eyes – and this salad is definitely a feast for the eyes.’ Raw chef, Solla Eiriksdottir.

Serves : 4-6

Ingredients :
300g red cabbage, cut into thin strips
2 carrots, cut into thin round slices
1 courgette, cut into thin, round slices
1 yellow beetroot, cut into thin, round slices
1 striped or red beetroot, cut into thin, round slices
5 radishes, cut into slices
1 pear, cut in half, cored and cut into thin slices
Seeds of 1 pomegranate
50g pistachios
10 dried Incan golden berries
4 tblsp green herbs, such as coriander, mint, basil and parsley finely chopped

For the dressing :
50ml walnut or olive oil
3 tblsp lemon juice
3 tblsp mandarin or orange juice
1 tblsp rice vinegar (or your favourite vinegar)
1 tsp ras el hanout spice
1 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp sea salt

Step One : To make the dressing, put all the ingredients into a clean jar, put on the lid and shake to mix. Set aside.

Step Two : Put the prepared vegetables into a bowl, and pour over the dressing, then, using your fingers, massage the dressing into the vegetables.

Step Three : Let the vegetables marinate for 15-20 minutes. When ready to eat, put the vegetables into a serving bowl, add the remaining ingredients, toss together, and enjoy.

Beetroot Salad and Grilled Goat’s Cheese

Recipe courtesy of Psychologies Magazine (June 2014) and taken from Fresh and Light by Donna Hay.

For a nourishing lunch, this vibrant salad is full of energising ingredients to avoid an afternoon lull.

Serves : 4

Ingredients:
4 large beetroots, peeled and trimmed
1 carrot, peeled and trimmed
100g baby or small beetroot leaves
300g firm goat’s cheese, cut into 8 rounds
Vegetable oil, for brushing

For the horseradish dressing:
2 tblsp white wine vinegar
1 tblsp olive oil
1 tsp freshly grated horseradish
Sea salt and cracked black pepper

Step One : To make the horseradish dressing, place the white wine vinegar, olive oil, horseradish, salt and pepper in a bowl and whisk to combine. Set aside.

Step Two : Thinly slice the beetroot and carrot, and place in a bowl with the beetroot leaves. Add the dressing and toss gently to coat. Divide the salad between serving plates.

Step Three : Brush the goat’s cheese with a little oil and place on a baking tray lined with non-stick baking paper. Cook under a preheated hot grill for 8-10 minutes or until golden. Serve the goat’s cheese with the salad.

Herby Chickpea Tabbouleh with Oven-dried Tomatoes

Recipe courtesy of Psychologies Magazine (September 2015) taken from In the Mood for Healthy Food by Jo Pratt

Tabbouleh, a Middle-Eastern parsley salad, contains very little bulgar wheat and is served as part of a mezze platter. However, the increased amount of bulgur wheat and added chickpeas and feta, make this a more filling salad. This can be made a day or so ahead of time and stored in the fridge.

Serves : 4

Ingredients:
12 smallish (golf ball size) ripe tomatoes, halved
25g bulgur wheat
400g tin chickpeas, drained
1 bunch of fresh flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped
1 bunch of fresh mint, roughly chopped
1 bunch of spring onions, finely sliced
Seeds from 1 pomegranate, or 100g ready-prepared pomegranate seeds
3 tblsp extra virgin olive oil
Finely grated zest and juice of 1 lemon
200g feta cheese, broken into small pieces
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Step One : Preheat the oven to 120oC. Cut the tomatoes in half lengthways, sit on a baking sheet cut side up, and bake for 1-2 hours. This is just enough time for the tomatoes to start to dry out and begin to shrivel around the edges, which will intensify their flavour, making them wonderfully sweet and juicy. Remove from the oven and leave to cool.

Step Two : Cook the bulgur wheat according to the packet instructions, then rinse under the cold tap to cool it down. Drain really well, shaking the sieve to separate all the grains, then tip into a large mixing bowl.

Step Three : Add the chickpeas, herbs, spring onions, pomegranate seeds, olive oil, lemon zest and juice to the bulguar wheat and season with salt and pepper. Gently stir in the feta, spoon onto plates, and serve with the tomatoes.

The Scarlet Salad

Recipe courtesy of Psychologies Magazine, taken from Dirty Vegan by Matt Pritchard.

Serves: 4

For the marinade:
2 oranges, segmented and juice collected
2 fennel bulbs, cut into wafer-thin slices
1 tsp paprika

For the dressing:
4 tblsp extra virgin olive oil
2 tblsp white wine vinegar
1 tsp wholegrain mustard
1 small garlic clove, crushed
1 tsp maple syrup

For the salad:
3 tblsp sunflower seeds
3 tblsp pine nuts
150g Russian or regular kale
100g mixed salad leaves
1/2 a cucumber
300g rocket
10 cherry tomatoes, halved
Handful of edible flowers

Step One : Start with the marinade. Put the orange segments and juice into a bowl with the fennel slices as soon as you cut them (to stop them browning), then add the paprika and stir. Leave to stand, ideally overnight, or as long as possible.

Step Two : Put the sunflower seeds and pine nuts into a heavy-based pan and toast them over a low heat for 5 minutes, until they take on a rich brown colour – be careful not to char them.

Step Three : To make the dressing, put all the ingredients into a bowl, season to taste and mix thoroughly. The mustard should emulsify the mixture to make a smooth dressing.

Step Four : Next, prepare the Russian kale. This leaf is good raw, but the stems can be tough. Remove the stems and slice the leaves into bite-sized sections. Put the salad leaves, the cucumber, kale, rocket and tomatoes into a serving bowl. Pour half the dressing into the bowl and toss the salad by hand. Drain the fennel from the marinade, reserving a few orange slices for decoration, and add it to the bowl. Sprinkle over the sunflower seeds and pine nuts, arrange the orange slices on top, then drizzle the remaining dressing over the salad. Garnish with edible flowers and serve immediately.

Turkey Rice Salad

Recipe taken from The Ultimate Christmas Cookbook

A delicious crunchy salad to use up leftover turkey during the holiday festivities.

Turkey rice salad
Ingredients:-
225g (8oz) brown rice
50g (2oz) wild rice
2 red dessert apples, quartered, cored and chopped
2 celery sticks, coarsely sliced
115 (4oz) seedless grapes
45ml (3 tblsp) lemon or orange juice
150ml (1/4 pint) this mayonnaise
350g (12oz) cooked turkey, chopped
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Frilly lettuce leaves, to serve

Serves: 8

Step One : Cook the brown and wild rice in boiling salted water for 25 minutes or until tender. Rinse under cold running water and drain.

Step Two : Turn the well-drained rice into a large bowl and add the apples, celery and grapes. Beat the lemon or orange juice into the mayonnaise, season with salt and pepper and pour over the rice.

Step Three : Add the turkey and mix well to coat with the lemon or orange mayonnaise.

Step Four : Arrange the frilly lettuce leaves over the base and around the sides of a warmed serving dish and spoon the rice on top.

Christmassy salad servers …

Grapefruit, Fennel and Cucumber Salad

Recipe courtesy of Psychologies, taken from CIBI : Simple Japanese-inspired Meals to Share with Family and Friends written by Meg & Zenta Tanaka.

This combination tastes as beautiful as it looks and goes nicely with baked fish, a mild curry or a meat dish.

Ingredients (Serves 4-6)

• 100g (about ½) pink grapefruit, peeled and separated into segments
• 100g (about ½) grapefruit, peeled and separated into segments
• 1 Lebanese (short) cucumber or ½ telegraph (long) cucumber, cut into thin rounds, then quartered
• 400g fennel bulb, halved and thinly sliced
• 1 tbsp finely chopped flat-leaf pasley
• 90ml Honey Mustard Dressing

Step One – Cut each grapefruit segment in half at an angle.
Step Two – Cut the cucumber rounds into quarters.
Step Three – In a bowl, combine the grapefruit, cucumber, fennel and parsley. Add the dressing and mix well.

Crispy Lamb & Poppadom Carrots

Recipe courtesy of Psychologies Magazine and is taken from the book : Salad Feasts: How to assemble the perfect meal by Jessica Elliott Dennison.

This dish is full of great textural contrasts : crunchy poppadoms, smooth cooling yogurt, creamy chickpeas and aromatic spiced lamb; all of which are brought to life with pink pickled onion and a big dollop of mango chutney.

Crispy Lamb and Poppadom Carrots Ingredients (Serves 4)

½ red onion
2 limes
300g minced lamb (around 15-20 per cent fat)
1 tsp mustard seeds
1 ½ tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground coriander
¼ tsp ground cinnamon
½ – 1 tsp chilli flakes (depending on how spicy you like it)
¼ tsp sea salt flakes
4 carrots (a variety of colours is nice if you can get them)
6 small poppadoms
100g radishes, finely sliced
400g tin chickpeas in water, rinsed and drained
Small bunch (20g) coriander
2 ½ tsp olive oil
1 tsp honey
20g fresh ginger, peeled
150g natural yogurt
70g mango chutney

First, peel the onion, slice into half-moons as finely as you can – a mandolin if handy for this – then place in a small bowl. Squeeze in the juice of 1 lime, then set aside to lightly pickle.
Next, put a large frying pan over a high heat. Add the lamb and mustard seeds and cook for 5-6 minutes until caramelised. Reduce the heat to low. Add the ground cumin, coriander and cinnamon, chilli flakes and salt, then cook for a minute. Turn off the heat, but leave the pan on the hob so the lamb stays warm.
Top, tail and peel the carrots then shave ribbon lengths (stop once it gets too hard to peel the core) and transfer to a platter. Roughly crush 2 of the poppadoms and scatter them over the carrots along with the radishes and chickpeas. Pick over the coriander leaves.
At this stage, the onion should be bright pink and nicely pickled. Add the oil and honey to the bowl. Finely grate the ginger, then squeeze in the juice (discard the grated root). Stir to combine.
To assemble, scatter the onion over the carrots and gently toss with your hands, ensuring all the vegetables are coated in dressing (squeeze in more lime if it feels to dry). Spoon over the warm crispy lamb to finish, then serve with the rest of the poppadoms, yogurt, mango chutney and wedges of the remaining lime.

Fattouche (Middle Eastern crunchy salad)

This recipe is courtesy of Easy Living Magazine

Serves: 4-6 – Prep time: 25 mins, plus standing time – Cook time: 5 mins
Cals per serving: 161 cals – Fat : 8g

Ingredients: 2 pitta breads or Lebanese breads; Olive oil for brushing; 3 baby cos lettuces; 1 red onion, finely sliced; 4 radishes, sliced; 200g (6 ½ oz) cherry tomatoes, halved; 1 cucumber, peeled and diced; 1 red pepper, finely diced; 4 tblsp flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped; 4 tblsp mint, roughly chopped; 1 tblsp ground or crushed sumac; ¼ tsp allspice; Extra virgin olive oil, for drizzling

For the dressing: Juice of ½ lemon; 3 tblsp extra virgin olive oil; 1 clove garlic, crushed; 1 tsp ras el hanout (optional)

Heat the oven to 180^oC (gas mark 4). Split the spread in half and brush each piece with olive oil. Bake for 5 minutes until crisp.
Slice the lettuce crossways into 1cm (½ in) strips and place in a large bowl with the onion, radishes, tomatoes, cucumber, red pepper, parsley and mint. Season well. Sprinkle the sumac and allspice over the top, then drizzle with a little extra virgin olive oil. Toss well and set aside for 10 minutes for the flavours to infuse.
Combine the dressing ingredients in a small screw-top jar and shake to combine.
Pour enough dressing over the salad to lightly dress it, and toss it through. Break the bread into pieces and mix through the salad. Divide the salad between four plates and serve immediately.

Sumac:

Another cookbook:

Greek Salad Served on Skewers

Ideal accompaniment to the Whole Barbecued Fish.

Cook Time: 10 mins

Ingredients: 8 cherry tomatoes; 6 whole black olives, stoned; 225g / 8oz feta cheese, cubed; 1-2 tblsp chopped, fresh oregano; a little extra virgin olive oil
To serve: shredded salad leaves and crusty French bread

Divide the tomatoes, olives and feta cheese between 8 small wooden skewers. If using metal skewers, you may need to heat them first or the cheese may crumble.
Place on a nest of salad leaves, drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with chopped oregano. Serve with crusty French bread.
If liked, add chunks of cucumber and wedges of read onion to the skewers, too.

Some skewers for the salad:

Black olives:

Asparagus, Red Pepper and Halloumi Salad

Serves: 4; Takes: 25 mins plus marinating; Calories/Fat: 304 cals /22g; Sodium/Added sugar: 1.2g/0.4g

Ingredients: 2 tblsp olive oil; 1 garlic clove, crushed; 2 sprigs of fresh thyme; 3 red peppers, deseeded and quartered; 400g (14oz) asparagus, trimmed; 1 x 250g Halloumi cheese, thickly sliced; 2 tblsp sweet chilli sauce; Salt

Mix the oil, garlic and thyme and marinade the veg and cheese, reserving a little, for at least 15 mins or in the fridge overnight.
Barbecue the peppers first (they can take up to 10 mins), turning occasionally. When the peppers are almost ready, add the asparagus for one min and then the Halloumi for 30 seconds on each side.
Skin the peppers and mix with the cheese and asparagus. Season with salt. Stir the chilli sauce into the remaining marinade and drizzle over the warm salad.

Would you like to try to make Halloumi?

An Asparagus cooker when not grilling as in this recipe.