Summer Special: Must-Try Salads

There’s a simplicity in a bowl of salad that we can all appreciate. Fresh crunchy veggies, sweet fruits, spiced meat and the zing of lemon and mint. Done right, salads can be a balm for sense with their soothing texture, flavour and smell. And the best bit? They are awfully healthy so we don’t end up cheating on our diets. 

Watermelon and Feta Salad
A watermelon salad during summers is a must. There’s no way around it. We like ours with a generous amount of feta, to add a layer of creamy saltiness. Take some chilled, seedless watermelon (it just makes things easier) and cut them in small cubes. You could, alternatively, use a teaspoon to scoop the fruit out in perfect rounds. Take some crumbled feta and toss it with the fruit, add some mint or basil leaves. For the dressing, mix olive oil with lemon juice, salt and pepper. 

 

 

 

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Pear Walnut Salad
This one takes a bit of time and prep, but the result is worth it. Chop the pear in thin, long slices and mix it up with a variety of greens. You can add some fresh berries too but personally, I prefer dried cranberries and cherries. 

The walnuts are the slightly tricky bit. Toast them in an oven for about five minutes, take them out and mix it well with oil, coconut sugar, cinnamon powder and some sea salt. Pop them back in the oven for another five minutes. To make the dressing, mix (you can pour all ingredients in a jar and shake) olive oil, balsamic vinegar, minced shallots, salt and pepper. Toss the pear and greens with the dressing and walnuts, and you are in for a treat.

 

 

 

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A post shared by Nikki Lancaster - Dietitian (@gramsofhealth) on Sep 26, 2019 at 6:53pm PDT

White Bean Tuna Salad
The white bean and tuna salad is a delightful lunch and is even simpler to make. Chop some onions and squeeze them in an ice bath, remove the water and marinate the onions with vinegar and salt. In a separate bowl, take boiled white beans and some canned tuna (packed with olive oil, preferably) and add the onions (squeeze out all the vinegar from them). For the dressing, take a spoon of the vinegar-onion juice, some of the bean stock water, black pepper and a drizzle of olive oil. Add fresh parsley before serving. 

Peach Caprese Salad 
Caprese salad is probably one of the easiest, quickest and most impressive of preparations. Add peaches to that and you’ve got a winner. Cut the peaches in thin slices and drizzle olive oil and lemon juice. Add salt and pepper. Mix fresh greens, cherry tomatoes, cubed mozzarella, torn prosciutto with the peaches and top it off with balsamic glaze.    

 

 

 

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Crunchy Thai Salad with Peanut Dressing  
There is an assortment of vegetables and fruits in this one, each one adding a layer of texture. Chop kale, bell peppers, carrots, cilantro, mint, green onions and mangoes and toss them in a big bowl. The dressing is the key here: blend peanut butter, salt, honey, soy sauce, sesame oil, sriracha, ginger, garlic, some lime juice and a bit of water to thin it out. Coat the salad in the dressing and add fresh pepper and chopped peanuts.

 

 

 

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