Ready for Summer?

Summer is on its way. The increase in sunshine often makes it easier to start including fresh salads and move away from the comfort food we crave during winter. But after a few meals, the classic tuna or Greek salad starts to get monotonous. Here are a few tips and ideas for inspiration to keep those summer salads fresh and interesting.

Add grains and proteins

If you’re going to make a meal out of your salad (as opposed to having it as a side dish) then adding a grain and a protein is a great way to keep you full.

Grains you can try are quinoa, barley, and roasted potatoes or sweet potatoes. Grilled chicken breast or beans, lentils and chickpeas are lean proteins that work well in salads. Grill your chicken breasts in the oven with some seasoning and lemon juice and/or slices. Braising chicken breasts (cooking in a pan until browned on each side) is a good way to prevent them from drying out in the oven. You can use your chickpeas, beans etc. straight out of the tin or grill them in a pan with a little bit of oil to add some crunch. See some of the recipes below for some inspiration.

Change up your veggies

Instead of the classic lettuce, cucumber and tomato try out a few new vegetables. Baby spinach is a great alternative to lettuce. Roast some baby tomatoes or butternut in the oven (with some seasoning and herbs), green peas, peppers, mange tout, baby corn or even some grated carrot for a bit of variety.

Make your own dressing

Try mixing your own vinaigrette with olive, peanut or avocado oil and a vinegar such as Balsamic or red wine vinegar. Make your dressing using a ratio of 1/3 vinegar to 2/3 oil (e.g. 1 tbsp. of vinegar and 2 tbsps. of oil) You can add some lemon juice or zest, herbs or garlic to add extra flavour. Using a homemade salad dressing instead of a ready-made dressing or mayonnaise helps you to get in a healthier source of fats.

Add healthy fats

Nuts, seeds, avocado and olives are great ways to add flavour and texture and are a great source of healthy fats, fibre and important minerals such as magnesium. Alternatively, you can use hummus as a substitute for a dressing to make your salad creamy.

Here are two recipes to get you started.

Balsamic chicken salad with lemon quinoa (serves 3)

Lemon Quinoa:

• 1/4 cup dry quinoa

• ½ cup vegetable or chicken stock (or water mixed with 1 teaspoon vegetable stock powder)

• Pinch of salt to season

• Juice of 1/2 a lemon

Chicken:

• 3 boneless chicken thigh or breast fillets, trimmed of fat

• 1/2 tablespoon garlic (or plain) olive oil

• 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

• Juice of 1/2 a lemon

• 1/2 teaspoon vegetable stock powder

• 1 clove garlic, crushed

Salad:

• 3 cups (200g) cos lettuce, washed and shredded

• 100 g grape tomatoes, halved

• 1/2 medium red onion, thinly sliced

• 50 g pitted Kalamata olives

• 25 g Feta cheese

• 1/2 cup continental parsley

Dressing:

• 1 tablespoon olive oil

• 1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar

INSTRUCTIONS

For Lemon Quinoa:

In a small saucepan, combine quinoa, stock and salt. Bring to the boil; reduce heat to a gentle simmer, cover with a lid and cook for 15 minutes or until broth has absorbed and quinoa is soft. Remove from heat and set aside while still covered and allow to steam. After about 2 minutes, fluff with a fork. Allow to cool slightly and add the lemon juice.

For Chicken:

Add the chicken fillets in a large skillet or nonstick pan with olive oil, balsamic vinegar, lemon juice, stock powder and garlic powder/granules. Sauté the chicken until nice, crispy and golden on both sides, and cooked through. Remove from heat; allow to cool slightly, and slice into 1-inch strips.

For Dressing:

Combine all dressing ingredients in a small bowl/jug, and whisk until mixed through.

For Salad:

Combine the lettuce, tomatoes, onion, olives, feta and parsley in a large salad bowl. Top with chicken slices and quinoa, and drizzle with the dressing. Toss to combine. Serve with lemon wedges.

(Original recipe: https://cafedelites.com/balsamic-chicken-salad-lemon-quinoa/)

Sweet Potato Chickpea Buddha Bowl (serves 3)

Vegetables:

• 30 ml olive, melted coconut, or avocado oil

• 1/2 medium red onion (sliced in wedges)

• 2 small sweet potatoes (halved)

• 1 packet of small stemmed broccoli or normal broccoli (large stems removed // chopped)

• 2 big handfuls of baby spinach

• 1/4 tsp each salt + pepper

Chickpeas:

• 1 (425-g) can chickpeas (drained, rinsed + patted dry)

• 1 tsp cumin

• 3/4 tsp chilli powder

• 3/4 tsp garlic powder

• 1/4 tsp each salt + pepper

• 1/2 tsp oregano (optional)

• 1/4 tsp turmeric (optional)

Tahini Sauce:

• 2 tbsp. of tahini

• 1/2 medium lemon (juiced)

• 30-60 ml hot water (to thin)

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 200 degrees C and arrange sweet potatoes and onions on a bare baking sheet. Drizzle both with a bit of oil, making sure the flesh of the sweet potatoes are well coated and placed skin side down on the sheet.

2. Bake for 10 minutes, then remove from oven flip sweet potatoes and add broccoli. Drizzle broccoli with a bit of oil and season with a pinch each salt and pepper.

3. Bake for another 8-10 minutes, then remove from oven and add baby spinach. Drizzle baby spinach with a touch more oil and season with a pinch each salt and pepper.

4. While vegetables are roasting, heat a large skillet over medium heat and add chickpeas to a mixing bowl and toss with seasonings.

5. Once hot, add 1 Tbsp. and chickpeas and sauté, stirring frequently. If they’re browning too quickly, turn down the heat. If there isn’t much browning going on, increase heat.

6. Once the chickpeas are browned and fragrant, remove them from heat and set aside.

7.Prepare sauce by adding tahini and lemon juice to a mixing bowl and whisking to combine. Add hot water until a pourable sauce is formed. Set aside.

7. To serve slice sweet potatoes into bite-size pieces. Divide vegetables between 3 serving bowls and top with chickpeas + tahini sauce.

(Original recipe: https://minimalistbaker.com/sweet-potato-chickpea-buddha-bowl/)