Salad Recipes

Green Salad

This can be made up of just about anything you want fresh from the garden. Its primary ingredient is always lettuce, but it could be a whole range of different lettuce types to vary the colour and texture in the salad.

Then add as you like, tomato, capsicum, shredded carrot, shallots, radish, watercress and celery. Wash all ingredients and then dry on a clean tea towel. Salad should be served well chilled to maintain 'crunch' so don't dress until it's on the table.

Green salads should be made fresh on the day they are to be eaten.

Greek Salad

This is a spectacular dish, especially as a fresh change from your regular salad. The blend of ingredients makes for a crunchy texture with the pleasant saltiness of the feta adding depth and contrast.

4 ripe tomatoes
1 cucumber, unpeeled
1 green capsicum pepper
15-20 kalamata olives
1 red onion, sliced in fine rings
1 teaspoon fresh oregano
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
200g feta cheese cubed
2 tablespoons of good quality Olive Oil
1 tablespoon lemon juice
salt and pepper

Chop the tomatoes into quarters or eighths. Cut the cucumber lengthwise and chop roughly. Cut the capsicum into thin strips lengthwise. Mix together in a serving dish with the olive oil, lemon juice and salt and pepper.

Sprinkle remaining ingredients in the bowl and serve immediately.

Tabbouleh

This is a wonderful parsley salad from Lebanon. It can be served on its own or used as a garnish on a bread roll. You will need:
2 large bunches of continental parsley (4 cups)
1 bunch mint (1 1/2 cups)
1/2 cup burghul (cracked wheat, available from health food stores)
2 small tomatoes
5 green shallots
1 small onion
1 1/2 tablespoon oil
1 1/2 tablespoon lemon juice

Place burghul in a small bowl, cover with boiling water and let stand for 15 minutes. Chop parsley, tomatoes, shallots and onion into small pieces.

Drain Burghul well in a strainer and rinse under cold water. Drain again and blot dry with absorbent paper.

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl, mix gently and serve. This can be made up to two days in advance.

Coleslaw

Coleslaw is a very simple salad made up of shredded cabbage, carrot and mayonnaise. It is a base upon which you can build with a lot of different flavours by adding what you like. So, start with:

1/2 head of cabbage
1 medium carrot (grated)
1/4 cup of mayonnaise
2 teaspoons of lemon juice

Remove the core from the cabbage and shred the leaves finely. Combine cabbage, carrot and combined mayonnaise and lemon juice. Then it's up to your imagination. Some popular additions include onions, shallots, raisins, apple and capsicum.

Serve chilled.

Bean Salad

Beans are SO good for you and are a brilliant source of dietary fibre. You can use fresh or canned beans for this salad, but make sure they are well cooked and well rinsed whichever you choose.
300g red kidney beans
300g butter beans
300g four bean mix (canned)
1 stick celery (chopped)
1 small onion (sliced)
1 long green cucumber sliced
1 tablespoon oil
2 tablespoons French dressing
1 tablespoon chopped parsley
1 teaspoon dry mustard
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon grated ginger

Place cooked beans in strainer and rinse well under cold water. Drain. Combine beans, celery, onion and cucumber. Combine all other ingredients and pour over the salad. Mix well.

Warm Chicken and Peach Salad

2 cups of iceberg lettuce, shredded
2 skinless chicken breast, cooked (still warm)
2 peaches chopped into wedges
1/2 red onion sliced
2 tbsp sweet chilli sauce
juice from 2 limes
1/4 cup mint, chopped
2 Tbsp roasted cashews, chopped
1/4 cup coriander, chopped

Grill the chicken breast. Divide the lettuce into two serving bowls. Chop the chicken and mix with all other ingredients in a separate bowl. Mix thoroughly and pile over the lettuce to serve.

Potato Salad

1 kg (2 pounds) red or white new potatoes, washed
3 boiled eggs (optional)
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup lemon juice
3 sticks of celery, diced
1 1/4 cups of mayonnaise
Salt and pepper to taste

Boil the potatoes until just cooked. Drain, allow to cool, peel and dice. Boil the eggs, drain, cool under cold water and chop roughly. While the diced potatoes are still warm, put into a bowl and pour the oil and lemon over the top. Mix well. Add all other ingredients and sprinkle lightly with paprika (optional). Chill before serving.

Prawn and Melon Salad

This is the taste of summer in a bowl.

The recipe calls for prawns or shrimp. They should be fresh and put into boiling water for just a couple of minutes. Remove from the water and allow to cool before peeling and de-veining. 20-30 will generously serve 4.

20-30 fresh prawns or shrimp
1/2 honeydew melon
1 avocado
1 lettuce

Dressing:

1 Tablespoon red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon honey
1/2 teaspoon dijon mustard
2 tablespoons good quality virgin olive oil
4 spring onions finely chopped (optional)

Prepare the seafood and allow to cool. Cut the melon into small, thin slices, then bite size. Wash and dry lettuce leaves and pull into large bite size pieces. Quarter the avocado and cut into similar size pieces to the melon.

Combine the dressing ingredients into a jar and shake well. Combine the salad ingredients and drizzle the dressing over the top. Toss lightly and serve immediately.