Asian flavoured winter salad

This is one of my typical throw together what you have salads. It only contains 5 ingredients but packs a punch both in flavour and in health benefits.

In terms of health, as many of us have heard since childhood spinach makes you strong. Well it's true, spinach is one of those nutrient dense greens that we all can benefit from eating often. Adding a little lemon juice will add in the uptake of the iron in the spinach. Did you know that sesame seeds contain more calcium then milk?! Coriander contains high levels of iron and stimulates digestion.


Ingredients serving 2:
1/2 head of radicchio
two large handfuls of baby spinach
1 avocado
handful of coriander
1-2 tbsp toasted sesame seeds

Asian flavoured dressing:
juice from 1 lemon
2 tsp tamari or other japans soy sauce
1 tsp dijon mustard
1 tbsp cold pressed extra virgin sesame oil
1 tbsp cold pressed extra virgin olive oil
*optional 1/3 minced garlic clove

1. In a dry pan on a medium heat toast the sesame seeds. They are ready once you smell them and they start to pop out of the pan. Allow to cool.
2. Wash and dry the spinach and raddichio. 
3. Slice the raddichio thinly and place in a bowl, add the spinach. 
4. Halve the avocado and with the skin on slice lengthwise and across essentially making cubes, then using a spoon scoop out the flesh and add to the salad bowl. 
5. Finally add the washed, dried and chopped coriander leaves. 

For the dressing - Place all the dressing ingredients except the oil in a jar, or glass, close the jar with a lid and shake or use w fork to whisk the ingredients if you using a glass. Once the ingredients have mixed and the mustard dissolved then add the oils and shake/stir till you get a thick emulsion.

You can serve this as a side dish, or eat as a light lunch.

A kind of Cesar Salad

Salad weather is back and my cravings for salads with it. This salad is simple and will satisfy the most difficult tastebuds. Basically it's my version of a Caesar salad, crunchy, creamy, salty, yummy! I used a grill pan to get the grill effect of course you could use a proper grill and if you don't have either you could go for the un-grilled version and just fry the courgette and chicken in a little cooking oil. 

The great thing with this salad is that it's both filling and full of healthy ingredients. Avocado has plenty brain and heart healthy omega oils. Anchovies have high levels of vitamin A, which helps cell development, supports vision and bone development. Parmesan had very high levels of protein, which helps build among other things muscles, organs and skin. it also contains high levels of calcium and small amounts of vitamin D! Vitamin D is something we in northern countries are all lacking to various degrees, and is mostly know for its support of bone growth. 

If you want to make this a vegetarian friendly salad replace the chicken with tempeh, make sure to season it so that you add flavour. The anchovy in the dressing can be replaced with 1/2 dl Greek kalamata olives or any other high quality black olives. 

Ingredients needed: 

2 biological chicken files*

1 avocado 

1 medium sized courgette

2 mini gem salads 

1 endive 

150 grams parmesan 

Dressing ingredients: 

1 tsp dijon mustard

juice from 1/2 lemon 

1 tbsp white wine or apple cider vinegar

50 grams parmesan cheese 

2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil 

2-4 anchovy files 

pepper

Here's how to pull this salad together in a jiffy. 

1) If you have a grill pan place it on your stove and start heating the pan, don't use any oil. If you're using a regular frying pan you will need to use some cooking oil. 

2) Slice the courgette into 1cm slices. Test the pan by drizzling a drop of water onto the pans surface, if it sizzles and evaporates its ready for you to place the courgette on it. Wait till the pan is hot enough before grilling the courgette. (If the pan isn't hot enough the courgette & chicken won't get those grill stripes and in my opinion the ingredients stick in the grill pan.) Grill the courgettes on both sides for somewhere between 2-3min per side. You want dark grill marks. Place the courgette on the salad.

3) Now slice the chicken into long slivers and grill as with the courgette. The chicken will need a longer grilling time, check to make sure its cooked through before placing in the salad. 

3) Wash the gem salad and endive. Dry and place on a large plate or bowl. 

4) Halve the avocado and remove the pit, then use a spoon to scoop out each half of avocado. Place on a chopping board and slice into thin slices, add to your salad plate or bowl. 

5) Using a hand blender mix all salad ingredients so that you end up with a smooth thick dressing. 

6) Dress the salad and finally shave some parmesan over the top. 

* Biological means the meat is not pumped full of the antibiotics and other unwanted chemicals. in addition the chicken will have lived a happier life and therefore be less tough and in my opinion tastier. 

Easy summer days trout black bean salad with herbal dressing

It feels like summer suddenly!!! Wow what a feeling a little sunshine and warmth can give.
Here is a simple summer salad to boost that feeling. The black beans can of course be interchanged with any other bean; chickpeas, lima beans, cannelloni what ever tickles your fancy. I would even venture to suggest replacing the beans with fresh summer peas if you can get your hands on some. The trout can also be replaced with smoked cod, salmon or mackerel.

Salad for 1:
2 tbsp beans of your choice
good handful of mixed salad leaves
3-4 cherry tomatoes
1 file of steamed trout

Herbal dressing:
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
3 large basil leaves (or 4 smaller)
4-6 leaves of flat leave parsley or 2 fresh oregano leaves
0,5 tbsp hemp seeds
salt & pepper
juice from 1/2 lemon or 1 tbsp white wine or apple cider vinegar
salt and pepper

1. Use a hand held blender and mix all the dressing ingredients till combined. 
2. Place the salad and beans in a bowl large enough to allow you to mix it with the dressing. 
3. Crumble the fish into the salad. 
4. Halve the cherry tomatoes 
5. Pour over the dressing and mix

That's it. Simple summer food for lazy sunny summer days. 

Yellow courgette, fennel & quinoa salad

I admit, this is more of a summer salad. However the colours are just so vibrant that looking at it will make you warmer during these colder winter days.

Salad for 2:
1/2 yellow or green courgette
1/2 medium fennel bulb
1 spring onion stake (using only the greener half)
1 dl mixed quinoa (white, red, black)
half a handful of fresh coriander leaves
1 ripe avocado
1 dl frozen peas

Lemon vinaigrette:
juice from 1/2 lemon
1 tsp dijon mustard
1 tbsp white wine or apple cider vinegar
salt & pepper
1,5 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1. Rinse & cook the quinoa according to the packaging. Add the frozen peas to the last 4min of the cooking time.
2. Halve the courgette and then slice through the middle. Also half the fennel. Using a mandolin or a cheese cutter shave the fennel and fennel. Place in a mixing bowl.
3. Chop the green end of the spring onion, add to the courgette & fennel. 
4. Mix together the dressing until all combined and then pour over the courgette & fennel. Mix. 
5. Plate the quinoa and then add the salad on top. 
6. Halve the avocado and take out the inner pit and chop and place onto of the salad and the quinoa. 
7. Finally chop the fresh coriander and sprinkle atop the salad. 

Sprouted beans, quinoa and beet salad

This is a luke warm, healthy feeling, autumn salad. Packed with good nutrients and fibers. The nice thing with this salad is you can vary it using carrots instead of red beet, coriander in place of parsley. You can add roasted nuts, like walnuts pr pine nuts or pecans. Feta can be added or avocado for a touch of creaminess. Protein such as smoked tofu, tempeh or tinned tuna or fried chicken file.

Also the dressing can be exchanged simply by replacing various vinegars with the tamari sauce.

Ingredients for 2 people:
1 red beet // 2 medium carrots
1/2 endive
handful fresh parsley
2-3 stalks fresh dill
1,5 dl quinoa
Sprouted beans

Dressing:
Juice form 1/2 lemon
1 tbsp tamari sauce
1 tsp dijon mustard
1,5 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

* Sprouted beans can be brought at general health food stores. These can alternately be replaced with other sprouts or even non sprouted cooked beans.

1. Wash the red beet or carrots Cook the red beet or carrots till al dente. Keep the skin on. Drain and cool by running under cold water. You want it warm but not steaming hot. Once cooled slightly you can easily peel off the skin of the red beet. Chop into bite size.
2. Cook the quinoa as per the instructions on packaging.
3. Slice the endive into bite size pieces.
4. Chop the dill and parsley.
5. Now mix all the ingredients for the salad in a bowl.
6. For the dressing first whisk the mustard, lemon juice and tamari. Once combined add the olive oil.

Candy colored salad

You just have to love the colors and pattern of this beet. Real candy-ish. And in a way it is candy, they taste sweet and July is the season for these beauties.

This salad is a combo of in season ingredients; fragrant dill, crisp pointed cabbage, soft and squishy barley, hazelnut pesto to top if off.

Ingredients, salad for 2:
1/3 of a pointed cabbage
2-4 stalks of fresh dill, amount depends on how much you like the flavour of dill.
2-3 medium sized multicolored beets
1,2 dl barley (soaked over night in water)

Hazelnut pesto:
handful of fresh basil leaves
handful of fresh parsley
1 small clove of garlic
small handful of toasted* hazelnuts (this is important as the toasted version have a deeper flavour)
50 grams parmesan
squeeze of lemon juice
pinch of salt
fresh pepper
3 tbsp cold pressed extra virgin olive oil

* To toast the hazelnuts heat your oven, once it's warm (180 C) place on a baking tray and toast for 10-15 min. After half the time shake the tray to move the nuts around.

1. Scrub the beets to clean them of any dirt. Place in a pan with water and bring to a boil. Once the water has started to boil turn down the heat and allow to simmer. Cooking time varies and per taste, I like my beets somewhat chewy others like there's soft all the way through. Depending on how you like yours, keep poking them with a fork (like potatoes) to feel how far along they have cooked. Once the beets have cooked to your preference pour out the hot water and rinse them in cold water. Allow to cool slightly. 
2. Boil your barley according to the packaging, if it was soaked over night it should be between 15-22min. Sieve, pour a drizzle of olive oil over the hot barley to prevent it from sticking together, mix through. 
3. Now slide the skin off the beets, the skin should just slip off. Then cut into cubes. Admire the coloures and place in a salad bowl. 
4. Slice the pointed cabbage into shreds. Chop the dill and add both cabbage & dill to the beets. 
5. Place all the pesto ingredients in a blender, blend till its looks like the picture above. 
6. Add the pesto to the rest of the salad ingredients. Then admire again, and dig in!

Ceasar salad

Simple classic. Ceasar salad. Crisp, creamy, salty. I added broccoli, chicken and a soft boiled egg taking it from the level of lunch/starter to a filling satisfying dinner dish. You have to be in the mood for this dish, it is rich and it is heavy but may crave it once in a while as I do then nothing else will do.

Basically the 3 main star ingredients of this dish is the anchovy, parmesan and gem salad. If you don't have these you can't make this salad. It's that simple. If you know me you know I play around with traditional recipes all the time, as I have with this one too, but these 3 cannot be changed or replaced or left out. Now that that's clear we can move onto the recipe:

Ingredients for 2 servings
100 grams fresh parmesan (non of that powder, dried stuff)
3 baby gem heads
1/3 broccoli head
1 boiled chicken file (boil a chicken file in water, until cooked through)
salt & pepper

dressing:

1 biological egg

1 tsp white wine vinegar

1 tsp lemon juice

1 tsp dijon mustard 

6 anchovy files

1 dl extra virgin cold pressed olive oil (mild)

1/2 garlic clove

pepper

Important for the dressing, all the ingredients need to be somewhat room temperature, to avoid the chance of it splitting. 

1. Wash the gem salad and the broccoli. Dry the salad leaves.
2. Steam or boil the broccoli, I like mine al dente so I make sure to take it off the heat while it's still somewhat stiff and hard, this because it will continue to cook after you strain it. 
3. Soft boil an egg.
4. Place all the dressing ingredients, save the olive oil, in a blender, blend. Then once combined add the olive oil, slowly. Taste and add more acid or mustard if you feel it might need. 
5. Place the gem salad leaves in a bowl along with the broccoli. 
6. Shred the chicken on top of the salad and place the soft boiled egg on top. 
7. Add the dressing and finally grate or shave parmesan on-top of the salad. 

A final grind of pepper is recommended.

Trout salad with a coriander dressing

I love salads. I eat them almost 3/4ths of the year. I cannot get enough of them, rabbit food as my hubby calls it.

This was a fluke, I just used what I had at home and it turns out yummy! I had left over black beans but you could substitute them for put lentils or even quinoa.

Salad for 1:
150 gram smoked or pre cooked trout file
1/2 dl pre cooked beans, lentils or quinoa
3-4 cherry tomatoes
handful of mixed salad leaves

coriander dressing:
handful or coriander leaves
juice from 1/2 lemon
1 tbsp roasted pine nuts
2 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil
salt & pepper

1. Very easy, you simply assemble the salad: place all in a bowl and crumble the fish on-top. 
2. For the dressing you place all the ingredients in a blender. Taste and add more seasoning if you need. 
3. Drizzle the dressing over the top of the salad, mix and eat. Enjoy. 

Pesto Salad

This is one of those salads where I just use what I have in the fridge. The key ingredients here is the soft boiled egg, avocado & the pestos dressing.  YUM!!! I am truley a pesto freak. Can't get enough of it, same goes for my mum &

sis. We love to pill it on and down our food in it.

The rest just needs to be some basic salad ingredients. I happened to have some left over seaweed (no idea what the name for it is..it's salty & crunchy and needs to have a quick, blanch - dip in boiling water). 

So here is the recipe - salad for 1:

1 fresh biological egg (this will make a difference to the taste)
1/2 avocado
1 tbsp black olives (kalamata or other strong flavored olive, again this will improve the flavor so don't get the cheap-o tinned version)
1/3 cucumber or 2-3 radishes
3-4 cherry tomatoes
Salad leaves - I used water cress for it's slightly peppery flavor
* optional seaweed "sticks" (sorry cannot find name for this...) it is not essential to the salad so don't go crazy trying to find it.

for the pesto dressing:
1 tight handful of fresh basil leaves
1/2 tbsp roasted pine nuts
2 roasted walnuts
3 smoked (unsalted) or roasted almonds
NUTS- you could also just choose to use 1 type of nut which could save you on shopping & effort. I just have all at home always so for me it's an easy choice.
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tbsp parmesan (for pesto & pasta I use more parmesan but this is a dressing and needs to be loose)
salt & pepper
juice from 1/2 lemon (this to add acidity and loosen up the pesto making it more fluid to pour as a dressing)

1. * this first step is only for it you choose to add the seaweed to your salad. Heat a small sauce pan of water. Once it boils add the seaweed sticks. Pull the water off the heat immediately and fish out the seaweed. They just need a quick 'dip', blanch in cooking language. Pour into a sieve and then rinse in cold.
1/2. In another pan place your egg and cover with water. Bring to a boil then lower the heat to a simmer. Time the cooking - the egg needs max 7min but no less than 6min. Be precise.
3. While the egg cooks, place all the ingredients for the pesto in a blender, blend and then taste. Add more seasoning or nuts or cheese if you feel the need. Just remember this is not a thick paste it's supposed to be a dressing.
3. Check your egg time. Slice your cucumber/radish, avocado and tomatoes.
4. Plate the a handful of salad in a bowl and add the cucumber/radish, avocado, tomatoes ontop.
5. Once the egg is done, rinse for a minute under cold water to stop it from cooking further.
6. Now place the seaweed atop the salad, the drizzle the dressing over the top and finally half the egg and sit it on the top.

Warm lentil & smoked trout salad

I am a salad maniac, but in winter its usually warm food I crave. For that reason this dish is a great alternative. I recently learned how to cook lentils correctly. They need to be cooked almost as attentively as risotto. I love lentils and I love any smoked fish, to me this is a perfect marriage. But really you could use smoked trout or warm smoked salmon instead.

Ingredients
2 dl dried put lentils
1 file of smoked fish
3-4dl water
vegetable or chicken stock cube
1/3 radicchio salad head
2 stalks of celery
4-6 cherry tomatoes
a few stalks of flat parsley
1/2 carrot
1/2 onion

dressing - optional*
2 tsp french dijon mustard (or other strong mustard)
2 tbsp vinegar (balsamic or white wine)
1/2 lemon juice
salt & pepper
3 tbsp cold pressed extra virgin olive oil
1/2 small clove of garlic

1. Chop the onion and carrot into dices 
2. Fry off the onions and carrot in a drizzle of cooking oil until glazed
3. Place the onions, carrots and lentils in a pan with the 3 dl of the water and bring to a boil 
4. Once the lentil water is boiling turn down the heat and allow to simmer 
5. Add the stock cube and then stir, allow to simmer for 30min. Add more water when the lentils look like they are 'dry'. 
6. taste the lentils after 30min, they should be soft and still hold their form 
7. Put the lentils to the side and allow to cool 
8. Chop the celery stalks into slices. 
9. Chop the parsley, discarding the thicker stalks 
10. Half the cherry tomatoes
11. * the dressing is optional, you could choose to simply drizzle the salad with a little cold pressed extra virgin olive oil, salt & pepper. If you do choose to make the dressing begin by mixing the mustard, vinegar, minced garlic, salt & pepper. Then add the olive oil till all has emulsified. 
12.  Finally put everything together, as with any other salad. 
13. Dress withe the dressing or drizzle some extra virgin olive oil, salt & pepper. Both versions are delish. 

Multi colored beets & roasted vegetables

 This is a summer inpired recipe, meant to bring a little color to your plate.

You can find some beautiful yellow, orange and pink beets in the late summer. I made the salad with left over roasted vegetables.

This is really simple, you could replace roasting the vegetables with steamed vegetables. Use what ever is in season. Late summer the Romanesco cauliflower is in season and is delicious steamed, not roasted. red paprika, onion and courgette are delish roasted.

1. Cook the beets, make sure you cover them with water, leaving the skin on. 
2. Once cooked and cooled you should be able to slip off the skin. 
3. Mix with the roasted or steam vegetables of your choice. 
4. Drizzle a little olive oil over the top and chop over some fresh parsley. 

Enjoy

Holding on to summer, sardine salad

I made this salad in an attempt to bring back the feeling of summer. The sun was shining and if I closed my eyes I was back.

This is a very light salad that can be eaten as lunch or a side to accompany other dinner dishes. Other ingredients can be added to give it more fill, like chickpeas, steamed or raw carrot or red beets, walnuts or pine nuts. I always feel the need to add more to dishes so I was really pleased with this spartan salad.

This salad is made up of:
2 files of tinned sardine (I bought my sustainably fished with line poles)
4 bio radishes
1/3 of an avocado (only because I only had that amount otherwise I would have used more)
8-10 black olives (make sure to use good quality, or don't bother as these are mean to bring flavor which cheap tinned black olives won't)
handful of ruccula leaves
1 leaf of iceberg salad
drizzle of lemon juice
drizzle of extra virgin cold pressed olive oil
salt & pepper

1. Take out a bowl, rip the ice berg into the plate. Add the ruccula. 
2. Quarter or halve the radishes, depending on their size. Add to the top of the salad leaves. 
3. Add the olives. 
4. Place the sardines 

Feel good food

This is feel good food for me. I could eat it almost everyday for  breakfast, lunch and dinner. The best part is you can change it up in so many ways, you can change the protein; poultry, fish, tofu, tempeh, meat...you can change the veggies; grated red beet is among my favorites.

Basically this is a plate that consists of 3 main ingredients:

1. Brown rice or quinoa
2. Raw vegetables which could be grated carrot or as above tomatoes, parsley and avocado. 
3. Protein

I also like to add some sort of seeds or nuts just to add that little extra feature. I love to create a light soy based dressing so that you get some moisture into play. Avocado always seems to make it's way onto this dish, it just adds this heavenly creaminess and knowing that its healthy, full of good oils & fats make it a perfect addition to this 'healthy plate'. 

Here are some various ways I have put this plate together: 

Sometimes just a fried egg ontop of the brown rice with some sprinkles of seaweed flakes or ripped seaweed sushi paper is enough to complete the plate.

I always feel satisfied after this dish, it fulfills on so many levels. 

Decadent summer salad

Not much needs to be said of this salad, it's delightfully decadent and full of summer. If these pics don't make it seem luxurious, then go ahead, make it and you surely will feel that naughty smile spread over your lips when you dig into it. of course there are endless variations that can be made to this salad, the egg could be poached, tuna could be added, olives, avocado, smoked mackerel, smoked salmon, roasted nuts; walnuts, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, hazelnuts etc...

Salad for 1:
1 handful of lima beans (I bought them in their pods, I had about 5 pods)
1 almost hard boiled egg
4-6 green asparagus (amount depends on how decadent you want to be)
1 handful of parsley leaves
1 handful of salad leaves
4-6 cherry tomatoes
2 tsp roasted pine nuts

Dressing for the purist:
drizzle of extra virgin olive oil
drizzle lemon juice
salt & pepper to taste

Dressing for the non purist - such as myself:
1/2 tsp dijon mustard
1 tsp vinegar (balsamic or apple cider or white wine vinegar)
salt & pepper
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1. Wash all your veggies
2. Boil your egg to your preference, allow to cool. I hard boiled mine but you could also allow it to be runny. 
3. Place the lima beans in a pan and cover with water. Bring to a boil. Allow to cook for 5-6min. 
4. Heat your grill pan, no oil needed. Test the heat by flicking some water drops on it, which should fizzle off the pan, thats when you add the asparagus. Lower the heat slightly. Allow the asparagus to sit on each side for 4-6 min so that they get charred.
5. Mean while, place the salad leaves in a bowl and add the halved cherry tomatoes
6. Pour the lima beans into a sieve and allow to cool slightly. I leave the outer skin on the lima beans, as i have this idea that that skins contains nutrients that I need but I know a lot of people prefer the skin take off, which is super simple, just push the beans out of the skin. 
7. Keep rotating the asparagus. 
8. Roast your pine nuts in a dry pan, keep the heat low, and have patience because once these delicate little nuts start to brown they burn very fast. 
9. Make your dressing, whisk so that it becomes a thick and integrated sauce so called an emulsion in cooking language. 
10. Build a mount of all the veggies top the salad & cherry tomatoes; lima beans, halved egg, pine nuts, asparagus. 
11. Drizzle the dressing of your choice over the top, enjoy!!

Roasted butter nut squash feta lentil salad

A good friend of mine once told me she often makes roasted pumpkin salad with feta. I have carried this food combination wishing to try it out for about 3 years and finally I tried it out, with butter nut squash instead of pumpkin. And thankfully it was just as good as I had imagined. I added lentils & celery to the mix as I had them both in the ready to use fridge and wanted to fill out the salad with some other textures. This salad is great served luke warm of the day after cold.

for 4 people:

1 butter nut squash or 1 small pumpkin
drizzle of olive oil
salt & pepper
1 square of feta (I am guessing its perhaps 250/300 gram?)
2 dl cooked put lentils (regular green lentils will also do fine)
2 celery stalks
1 tsp roasted sesame and/or (roasted) pumpkin seeds

You could also add some coriander leaves, parsley and or ruccula.

Dressing:
1 tsp dijon mustard - optional
1 tbsp lemon juice
salt & pepper
1,5 tbsp extra virgin olive oil (preferably cold pressed)

1. Pre-heat your oven to 180 C.
2. Half the butternut squash so that you can take out the seeds in the middle.
3. Chop the butternut squash into approximately 2x2 cm pieces.
4. Place a sheet on baking paper on your oven tray and place the chopped butternut squash in it and drizzle some olive oil over the top along with some salt & pepper. Mix so that the oil, slat & pepper coat the butternut squash cubes.
5. Place in the oven for about 20-30 min. They can come out when you can poke a fork or knife through and its soft but still slightly firm in the middle.

6. While allowing the butternut squash to cool slightly, make your dressing.
7. Unless you, as I did, have pre-cooked lentils in your fridge; rinse & cook the lentils according to the packaging. The puy lentils take about 20-25 min on a low simmer. Rise with cold water when done to keep them from over cooking and to cool them slightly.
8. Chop up the celery and place in a bowl along with the lentils & butternut squash.

9. Dress the salad & crumble the feta into the salad. If you like you can add roasted sesame and or pumpkin seeds.