Light Potato, Tomato & Boiled Egg Salad

Greetings! Today I have a nice little number for you. Although the weather over here has been temperamental, that is no excuse for not whipping up some Summery meals. Let's get started!

Light Potato, Tomato & Boiled Egg Salad
(Serves 2)

300g potatoes, diced
4 eggs, boiled and cooled
150g baby plum tomatoes, halved (optional)
A handful of chives, chopped
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the vinaigrette:
3 tbsp sunflower or olive oil
2 tsp cider vinegar
1 tsp English mustard
1 tsp maple or agave syrup (or a good pinch sugar)

- Simply start by dicing the potatoes and power boil until soft, this takes about 10-15 minutes, dependingon the size of the dice.

- In the meantime, put the eggs on to boil, once they are done, run under cool water until you can handle them.

- Whilst you've got everything on the boil, half the tomatoes (if using), and make the vinaigrette, set aside, and chop the chives.

- Once the potatoes are done, cool under running water - same way as the eggs... Drain well before shelling the eggs and crumbling them in, add the chives, tomatoes, salt and pepper and now pour in the vinaigrette. Stir well to combine and make sure to break up the eggs a big, that gives the potato salad a creamier texture!

A nice, light Summery lunch or dinner I would say! You can also have this as a side dish if you are having a barbecue, in which case the portion will probably serve four.

How has your weekend been? I had the Friday off and was rather productive then! Saturday I was working away - and it was surprisingly busy actually, afetrwards I met up with my boyfriend and some friends and we had a lovely time! Today I have been lazy - but afterwards, to justify the laziness, I baked some muffins which I will share with you in the near future - they are delicious!
I hope you are making the most of your day, come rain or shine *smiles*


Original recipe:
Veg Everyday, p. 76

- Jules

Minty Melon, Feta & Fennel Salad

This salad had my tastebuds intrigued, tangy, cheesy, sweet, minty? All of the above... And I tell you what, it was a refreshing experience!

Minty Melon, Feta & Fennel Salad
(Serves 2)

4 handfuls of washed leaves (I used mixed baby leaves)
1 fennel, trimmed and thinly sliced
300g cantaloupe, deseeded and cut into long slices
100g feta

Dressing:
1 tbsp white wine vinegar
Juice of 1/4 lime
3 tbsp olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
2 sprigs of fresh mint, finely chopped

- Divide the leaves between two plates, and if you want to crisp up the fennel, you can leave it in a bowl of icy water for five minutes - but I skipped this step, still crunchy! Sprinkle the slices of fennel across the plates, followed by the cantaloupe. Crumble over the feta... Aaaaalmost done now, just one more thing...

- Mix the dressing ingredients in a small bowl and drizzle atop of the salad - ta dah!

The colours on the plate made me really happy... Trying to suppress the early Winter evenings, eating happy food packed full of goodness!


Original source:
Ramsay's Best Menus 004

- Jules

Zazou Carrot Salad

I love this little side dish!

The fact that the name of the salad is the same as the funny little grumpy parrot in Lion King certainly peaked my interest when I found this recipe!

I served this as a lunch, along with vegetarian sausaged, and it worked a treat!

Zazou Carrot Salad
(Serves 2)

3-5 carrots, grated
1/4 cup parsley, finely chopped
3/4 cup tahini (I used the light tahini)
1 1/4 cup water
3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
Juice of 1/2 lemon
1 tbsp sesame seed oil
2 tbsp soy sauce or tamari
2 tbsp nutritional yeast (optional)

- Start by mixing the tahini and water, followed by garlic, lemon, sesame oil, soy sauce and the nutritional yeast (if using), then stir in the carrot and parsley.

- Serve as a side to a main meal, or as a lighter bite along with some vegetarian sausages!


Original source:
http://www.thecleandish.com/zazou-carrot-salad-with-lemon-tahini-dressing/

- Jules

Bulgur, Date & Clementine Salad

I dug up some recipes I wrote down last year but had yet to get around making. After having been to the BBC Good Food Show last week, I needed something that wasn't too heavy, and I decided to make this really lovely filling warm salad. It turned out to be a treat! Soft bulgur paired with chickpeas and the zing from the lemon and a subtle sweentess from the tangerine - delicious!

PS I used shelled pistachios instead of flaked almonds, but I imagine you can use either, just remember to toast them lightly!

Bulgur, Date & Clementine Salad
(Serves 2)

1/2 cup bulgur wheat
1/2 cup water
1/2 tsp allspice
1/2 tsp cumin
3 dates, chopped
Handful fresh parsley, chopped
400g tin chickpeas, drianed and rinsed
1 clementine, peeled and cut into segments
1 handful pistachios, shelled, or flaked almonds
2 handfuls baby spinach, or spinach, roughly torn

Dressing:
1 lemon, juiced
1 tbsp rice wine vinegar or sherry vinegar
2 tbsp olive oil

- Start by having the bulgur, water, cumin, allspice and chopped dates in a small pot. Leave to cook for ten minutes, and add a little splash of water more if it goes a little dry. In the meantime - make the dressing and set aside.

- Once the bulgur is cooked, tip in the chickpeas, and parsley and heat through. Once done, take it off the heat and swirl the dressing through it. Set aside and toast your pistachios or almond flakes until golden, this should only take a couple of minutes.

- Have two handfuls of spinach on each plate and divide the bulgur mixture between them, top with the clemetine segments and the toasted pistachios/almonds, and tuck in!

This could definitely be served in a bowl and considered one of those amazingly tasty, healthy and clean super bowls, and should you be on a gluten-free diet, just use quinoa or barley in place of the bulgur and cook as instructed ^ ^

Roque before carving!

What is your favourite warm salad?


Original source:
http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/2853678/bulghar-wheat-date-and-clementine-salad

- Jules

Two Mushroom Salad

Howdy! Y'all had a great week so far? I hope so!

Here, is a lovely side dish that has a little bit of a zing to it! And if you're like me and haven't completely made your mind up about what you think about mustard, worry not - as you can hardly taste it and the thyme and citrus juice takes the edge of it!

Two Mushroom Salad
(Serves 2, can be used as a side, or add a main piece of protein for a light main)

150g Chestnut mushrooms, sliced
150g button mushrooms, sliced
Salt and pepper to taste
150g mixed salad leaves (or mesclun)
Juice of 2/3 lemon or 1 lime
2 tsp mustard
1 tbsp chopped fresh thyme

- Start by frying the mushrooms in a large frying pan for about 5-10 minutes until they start sweating and start shrinking and go a dark golden colour, season with a little salt and pepper. Take off the heat and let cool for a while.

- Now, in a large mixing bowl, have the leaves and the mushrooms. Mix the citrus juice, mustard and chopped thyme and pour over the salad. Toss well to combine and serve with a main meal, such as chicken and babycorn, steak and sweet potato wedges or other such things that you think would work well paired up with this!

Today, on my lunch break, I managed to purchase a recipe book by Mister G. Ramsay, a spice and coffee bean grinder, as well as the mighty scripts of Indian cooking - India, with a thousand Indian recipes, yikes! I had a look through the book and all the dishes just makes me happy! There are some great rustic and homely photos as well as a bit of background stories about the different parts of India and their way of cooking. I cannot wait to get my paws on some of the recipes in there!

I was also told that now that I will be cooking every day at work in the near future, I am most likely to end up cooking less at home, which kind of had struck me the other week. But worry not! It only means that as opposed to posting something eeeevery day, it'll be like maybe 2-4 times a week. In other words, still regularly - so stay tuned *smiles*

What's your favourite side salad?


Original Source:
Low-Fat Meals in Minutes, p. 77

- Jules

Fruity Quinoa Salad

A slightly different way of using quinoa! It is usually added to savoury dishes, but here's an exception, using it as part of a fruit salad.
I thought that the original recipe was a little too dry, and so I added a bit more lemon juice and also agave syrup, and it worked a treat! It was a little too minty for me though, and so I will maybe opt out on that next time and maybe add another little something to it instead! I can also imagine this would be lovely if you serve it topped with some yogurt and additional agave syrup or honey, mmmm!

Fruity Quinoa Salad
(Serves 4, about 235 calories each)

100g dry quinoa
Peaches, apricots and/or nectarines, I used to apricots and a plum, diced
50g toasted hazelnuts, whole or roughly chopped
A handful of fresh mint (If you're into it that is!)
1 tbsp olive oil
Zest and juice of 1 large lemon
1-2 tsp agave syrup

- Boil up a large cup of water and have it in a medium sized pot along with the quinoa (or follow instructions on the packet). Cover and simmer for about 20 minutes, stirring every 5-10 minutes and adding a little bit more water should there not be enough.

- Once cooked, turn off the heat and let it sit for ten minutes, before cooling completely. Mix the olive oil, lemon juice and zest and the syrup and set aside.

- Chop up the fruit and add it to the quinoa along with the mint (if using), pour over the ziny dressing and toss well before serving!

What's your absolute favourite quinoa recipe?


Original source:
http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipe/summer-fruit-quinoa-salad

- Jules

Wild Rice Salad with Mango & (Pea)nuts

Here's a little side salad that I found the recipe for the other day. The original recipe uses black rice, which makes it look a lot classier and the fruit stood out better. I thought I would make do with my wild rice instead as I already had it. And instead of peanuts, I used cashews. It turned out really nice, and I had some today along with a leftover vegan burger that I made yesterday!
Double the recipe for a more even batch, so you're not left with half a mango and orange...or just have the fruit as a light dessert afterwards!

Wild Rice Salad with Mango & (Pea)nuts
(Serves 2-3, about 350-235 calories each)

100g black rice
1/2 orange
1 tbsp lime juice
1/2 tbsp sesame oil
1/2 tbsp olive oil
1/2 ripe mango, about 100g
25g peanuts or cashews, lightly roasted
Coriander
1/4 red onion, chopped
2 spring onions or 4-5 cm leek, finely chopped
A good pinch of red chilli flakes

- Start by boiling up water, bring it to a simmer and let the rice cook in some lightly salted water for about 20-25 minutes until tender.

- In the meantime, prepare the rest of the salad. Start by peeling the orange and remove the white pith. Over the bowl which you will make the dressing in, cut out the orange segments, making sure that the excess juice runs into the dressing bowl. Have the orange in a salad bowl.

- Add the lime juice, fish sauce and olive oil to the orange juice, whisk and set aside.
Prepare the remaining ingredients and have it in the bowl along with the orange fruit.

- Once the rice is cooked. Drain and let it sit covered for about 15 minutes. Then, take off the lid and cool before pouring over the dressing, stir well before adding the rice to the salad.

Serve alongside a main meal, and enjoy!


Original source:
http://www.vegangela.com/2013/03/20/black-rice-salad-with-mango-and-peanuts/


- Jules