Green Salad with Vinaigrette Sauce
Green.Tangy.Salad
This is one of my mother’s recipe, recently revived by my sister Terese. Today we keep a fridge full of bottles: sauces, marinades, dressings and condiments but back in the day, my mother made things from scratch. Maybe we all should try to go back the simple way of cooking without all the additives and preservatives.
Ingredients for Sauce:
- 1 large sprig of parsley
- 1 large spring onion chopped
- 2 tbs sweet pickle relish
- 1 tsp sugar
- 3 tbs white vinegar
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 cup olive oil.
Combine all ingredients for sauce in a blender and blend for 3 to 4 mins until creamy, pour into a jug, cover and chill for 25 to 30 min. Makes 3/4 cup.
Ingredients for Salad:
- 4 medium potatoes
- 250 gr (1/2 lb) whole frozen beans
- boiling hot water
- 125 gr (1/4 lb thick bacon
- 1 medium white chopped onion
- chopped parsley
Get ingredients for salad and in separate pans of boiling water, cook potatoes and beans for 12 to 15 min. Drain potatoes, peel and slice thickly and set aside to cool. Drain beans and set aside also to cool. Meanwhile cut the bacon into small chunks and cook in pan until crisp. Lift out and drain. Heap the beans into the centre of a salad bowl and arrange potato slices around the edge. Scatter bacon and chopped onion on top. Drizzle vinaigrette sauce over the vegetables and cover and chill for 20 to 25 min. Sprinkle with parsley and serve.
Salad Ideas
Salads are essential to summer. Our summer is enduring, hot and humid and so I look for ways to change up our traditional lettuce salad.
Two Mexican inspired salads from delicious February 2015 are simple and easy and makes for a colourful lunch.
Mexican Black Bean Salad
Corn Kernels, canned – drained
Black beans, canned – rinsed and drained
Coriander – leaves removed from stem
Small tomatoes (grape, cherry, mini) – halved
Avocado – sliced
Cos lettuce – shredded
Corn tortillas – sliced into 2 cm strips, tossed lightly in oil and baked in oven until crisp
Sour cream and sweet chilli sauce
Lime wedges – for serving
Brunch Salad
Cos lettuce – leaves washed and separated
Corn on the cob – char grilled then cut away from cob
Baby spinach leaves
Avocado – sliced
Streaky bacon – crispy fried
Corn chips
Sour Cream dressing: sour cream, lemon, salt and pepper
Layer and combine on a serving platter and drizzle dressing.
Haloumi Salads : A couple of options
Before you think that my teenager actually eats salads, I must own up: I make salads because I know my son will eat possibly one ingredient in the bowl and I hope one day he might venture out and actually eat the green and red things on the plate as well.
I do know that in a push, when there is nothing else to eat, KJ will eat salad greens, but they are definitely not his first preference.
He does like haloumi so here are a couple of his liked haloumi recipes:
Pan Fried Haloumi with Lemon, Garlic and Thyme
Ingredients
2 x 180 g pkts haloumi, drained
1 tablespoon olive oil
Zest from 1 lemon (use a vegetable peeler)
2 garlic cloves, sliced
6 sprigs fresh thyme
1 tablespoon lemon juice
Serve with lemon wedges and rustic gluten free bread
Method
Cut haloumi into 12 rectangular pieces.
Heat the oil in a non-stick frying pan over medium-high heat. Cook the lemon zest, garlic and thyme stirring for 2 minutes to develop the flavours.
Add the haloumi to the pan and cook for 2 minutes each side or until golden.
Drizzle with lemon juice and transfer to a large serving plate.
Season with pepper and serve immediately with sliced bread and lemon wedges.
Haloumi and Pomegranate Salad
Ingredients
Cos lettuce
Mini cucumbers
Pomegranate seeds
Haloumi cheese (pan fry sliced haloumi)
Dressing: 2 tabs honey, 2 tabs lemon, 2 tabs olive oil, 1 tabs oregano leaves chopped, sea salt flakes and pepper. Whisk in bowl and drizzle over salad.
Heirloom Tomato and Haloumi Salad
Ingredients
140 ml olive oil
1 garlic clove, crushed
2 tablespoons shiraz vinegar or red wine vinegar
50 g unsalted butter, 2 garlic cloves, crushed and 4 sliced and cubed gluten free multigrain bread (to make croutons or use Glutino Bagel Chips)
250 g haloumi, sliced, pan fried
500 g mixed heirloom tomatoes sliced (or use a colourful variety of tomatoes)
1 cup rocket, baby spinach and basil leaves
Method
Whisk 1/3 cup oil, garlic and vinegar together in a bowl, season and set aside.
To make croutons, heat 2 tabs oil and butter in a frypan over medium heat. Cooked bread for 4 minutes until crips. Add garlic and remaining 1 tabs oil and cook for 1 – 2 minutes. Drain on paper towel. Cool.
In a serving bowl or platter, combine croutons, dressing and remaining ingredients.
(Delicious Dec 14/Jan 15)
Italian Pea Salad
One of my mother’s recipes, this summer salad is a winner for its simplicity and taste.
When the day is hot and I am looking for an alternative to a lettuce salad, then this is the salad I turn to.
Italian Pea Salad
1 tin canned peas
1/4 red onion, diced finely
2 – 3 Roma tomatoes diced or a handful of cherry tomatoes halved
sea salt and ground pepper to taste
olive oil
balsamic vinegar
Assemble peas, onion and tomatoes in a bowl and lightly toss.
Season with salt, pepper, olive oil and balsamic vinegar.
