summer's here....any salad recipes?

twink

my stepmum used to put orange segments with her salads and it was really good, would need juicy oranges though

Pink.

Hi Pavlovs_dog,

We do have an earlier thread, so I have merged yours into it to bring it back up the board as I'm sure lots of people will be interested in it now the weather's improving.

Another couple of threads that might be of interest to people reading this thread are:

summer meal plans (without salads!)

food for hot weather

Pink

pavlovs_dog

cheers pinkwinged..i suspected i may have been a tad short sighted!!!

Queenie

Great thread idea :T :T :T

Today, contrary to my meal plan, I made up a beetroot salad (vacuum pack of beetroot, roughly chopped, HM dressing made with hm yogurt and seasonings) plus a HM coleslaw with added grated apple, sultana's and linseed. Gosh it was lovely!! :drool: :drool:

Hope you don't mind me mentioning ... ... but, from your list, it would seem that your "salad" includes many, many items that could be broken down and spread over several meals under different salad guises and that alone would ring the changes *and* be more cost effective.

For example:

~ A green salad (lettuce, cucumber, spring onions) served with say, cold cuts and mashed potato. I really love the combo of cold food with hot mash

~ Cucumber and tomato salad (serve with cooked meat and say, jacket potato)

~ Coleslaw (dead easy to make) would be a vegetable side dish which I would serve with say a lasagne and crusty bread. Shredded white cabbage, grated carrot, finely chopped onion (I mince mine in the FP) bound together with a dollop of seasoned mayo/yogurt/creme fraiche ... additions I make include sultanas, grated apple, chopped nuts - but only because I need to convince my family it is *healthy* :laugh:

~ We rather enjoy diced cucumber, chopped tomatoes (or halved cherry toms) mixed with a tin of fruit cocktail, served on a bed of torn icebury lettuce and topped with a dollop of cottage cheese. Crusty bread on the side gives texture and contrast.

~ Finely grated carrot with some orange zest, sultanas and dressing is also a delicious side dish and goes wonderfully with smoked mackeral :drool:

~ Potato Salad is very basically hot boiled potatoes, diced and mixed with mayo, chopped onion, chives, fresh chopped parsley and seasoned. Just remember the old saying: "A potato salad should be mixed when hot and eaten when cold"

~ sliced ham, rolled up with like a wrap with a cottage cheese filling, served with green salad and coleslaw is quite refreshing in hot weather.

~ Tuna Pasta Salad (in ours anyway) is basically, cooked pasta twist, add small can of tuna, handful of cold cooked sweetcorn, diced cucumber, mixed together with a blob of seasoned mayo/yogurt/creme fraiche

~ Rice and pasta can be interchangeable when using as base to eke out a small amount of protein (ie: eggs, fish, meat) with handfuls of cold veggies; add a dressing to compliment the protein element and voila, a substantial salad.

In the old days you would have a cheese salad (Ploughmans!!) *or* an egg salad *or* a quiche with salad *or* cold cuts with salad (with either bread, potatoes or a pasta something on the side for your carbo's). I have noticed that these days, cheese, eggs, pork pies all feature in the *same* salad, altogether; something you wouldn't ordinarily do with a cooked winter meal

Reading through those suggestions, there are 9 - you would get through the summer months without too much effort simply by changing your protein element and carb elements that you presented with them.

Caterina

If you roast any seeds (I use a mix of sesame, sunflower and hemp) and then put them on any salad, it is a very good way to jazz it up and adds protein and fibre too!

Make sure to always use the best quality cold-pressed oil you can affordand the best quality vinegar if possible, it is really worth the extra expense and you needn't use loads. You can also use lemon juice from fresh lemons - not from the lemon bottles!

Caterina

pavlovs_dog

Queenie wrote:

Hope you don't mind me mentioning ... ... but, from your list, it would seem that your "salad" includes many, many items that could be broken down and spread over several meals under different salad guises and that alone would ring the changes *and* be more cost effective.

not at all queenie, i truly value all the differing ideas and opinions. take my cheese slice thread for example...it all comes down to 'culture' and upbringing i suppose, but i was amazed that so few people knew what one was or used one.

same goes for salad. a salad, the way i've brought up *is* a combo of all the things listed above (be it on its own or as a side salad); its only in recent years that i've discovered all this 'posh' stuff like different types of salad , cous cous, vinagarette dressing etc.

please dont ever be afraid of voicing your opinion - its what makes us unique. life would be boring if we were all the same. im not convinced by the fruit cocktail and creme cheese idea, but if knowing that thats 'normal' for someone else out there makes me entertain the idea, then that has surely got to be a good thing. the mind is like a parachute, and all that jazz :beer:

Wizwoo

I love salad and often add fruit to mine especially apple or orange.

My favourite salad was one I made for a starter on Xmas day it was for Fennel, Orange and Pomegranate Salad with Feta. It was the first time I ever tried pomegranate. I got the recipe from the Woman's Hour web site http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/womanshour/food/recipe138.shtml. Does anyone have the book it's from ('Crazy Water, Pickled Lemon' by Diana Henry) if so is it any good?

Other favourite is pear with walnut and roquefort (or any blue cheese...love the stuff :grinheart ) it's easy but really special.

Love seeds and nuts too Caterina - always have pine nuts handy and sesame seeds. I think kidney beans (from can - cooked then chilled, am I right in thinking I can't use them straight from the can?) and chick peas are lovely too.

Could go on and on but I think that's enough for now :rotfl:

Chell

I have looked at the Indexed recipes but can't find a rice sald recipe. I'd like a veggie recipe if anyone has one please.

competitionscafe

Radish, mint and feta salad. (delicious!)
http://observer.guardian.co.uk/foodmonthly/story/0,,1255822,00.html

Also very tasty:
Couscous salad with feta, Kalamata olives, broad beans, peas and mint:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/database/print/couscoussaladwithfet_74884.shtml

This one is really good too, quite spicy:
Roasted Sweet Potatoes with Spicy Feta Olive Salad:
http://www.travelerslunchbox.com/journal/2005/6/9/for-the-sweet-love-of-spud.html

Mozzarella and green bean salad; Lentil, pea and feta salad.
http://observer.guardian.co.uk/foodmonthly/story/0,,1502045,00.html

Swan_2

mae wrote:

Don't want to hi jack the thread but also does anybody having any salad dressing recipes? I like vinegarette dressings but don't lnow how to make them?

this is a really nice slightly spicy dressing, particularly good with rice &/or tuna

2 Tablespoons oil
1/2 teaspoon black/brown mustard seed
1/4 teaspoon ground cummin
1/2 teaspoon salt, only if peanuts are unsalted
pinch turmeric
2oz roasted peanuts, roughly crushed/ground
2 Tablespoons lemon juice

heat oil
fry mustard seeds till they pop
remove from heat & add cummin, salt if using & turmeric
cool, add nuts & lemon juice
good with rice or green salads


another tasty thing to do with rice salads is to add a handful of Bombay Mix or other similar snack just before serving