THERE is nothing better for you in summer than a salad packed with healthy vegetables – and sometimes fruit too.
Here are some refreshing salads that are perfect as midweek meals, or rustled up to show off to friends.
5
They are also great served at barbecues and picnics…
5
Aubergine and chickpea salad
Serves 4 – 56p per person
Preparation time: 20 mins
Cooking time: 40 mins
5
YOU NEED:
- 4 tbsp olive oil
- 1 onion, finely chopped
- 2 aubergines, diced into 2cm cubes
- 1 tsp ground coriander
- 1 tsp ground ginger
- ½ tsp ground allspice
- ½ tsp ground cinnamon
- 2 cloves garlic, crushed
- 150g bulgur wheat
- 300g chickpeas, drained
- 1 lemon, juice and finely grated zest
- 2 large vine tomatoes, finely chopped
- 4 tbsp flat-leaf parsley, chopped
- 4 flat breads or tortillas
For garlic butter:
- 30g salted butter, softened at room temperature
- 1 clove of garlic crushed
METHOD: Heat three tbsp of the oil in a pan and add the chopped onion, aubergines, spices and garlic with three tbsp water.
Toss well and cook, covered but stirring occasionally, for 15 minutes until the aubergine is tender. Remove the lid, raise the heat and cook for a further five minutes so the juices evaporate. Allow to cool. Place the bulgur wheat in a pan with 500ml water, bring to the boil, cover and simmer for 15 minutes until the water is absorbed.
Remove from the heat, fluff up with a fork and cool. Heat the oven to 200C/180C fan/Gas 6. In a large bowl, toss together the aubergine mix, bulgur wheat, chickpeas, lemon zest and juice, tomatoes and most of the parsley. Season and mix thoroughly.
Mix the butter and crushed garlic to make the garlic butter. Brush each flatbread with it and scatter with the remaining parsley. Stack, wrap in foil and warm in the oven for five minutes.
Divide the salad between four serving bowls and serve each with a flatbread.
Thai beef salad
Serves 2 – £3.10 each
Preparation time: 20 minutes
Cooking time: 10 minutes
5
YOU NEED:
- ½ tbsp coconut oil
- 1 x 225g sirloin steak, fat trimmed
- Salt and pepper
- 1 tbsp fish sauce
- Juice of 2 limes
- 1 lemongrass stalk, white part only, sliced
- 1 red chilli, finely sliced (remove the seeds if you don’t like it hot)
- 2 tsp sesame oil
- ¼ cucumber, sliced into thin batons
- 2 spring onions, finely sliced
- 1 avocado, finely sliced
- 4 cherry tomatoes, cut in half
- 1 baby gem lettuce, leaves separated
METHOD: Heat the coconut oil in a frying pan over a high heat. Season the steak with salt and pepper. When the oil is hot, carefully lay the steak in the pan and fry for two minutes on each side. When the steak has had its time, transfer to a plate to rest for two minutes.
While the steak is cooking, make a dressing by mixing together the fish sauce, lime juice, lemongrass, chilli and sesame oil in a large bowl. Stir in the cucumber and spring onions, then leave to sit for two minutes.
When you are ready to eat, add the avocado, tomatoes and lettuce to the bowl with the dressing, cucumber and spring onions, and gently toss together.
Pile up your salad on a plate, slice your steak and place on the salad.
Greek salad
Serves 4 – 85p per person
Preparation time: 80 minutes, including marinading time
5
YOU NEED:
- ½ red onion, sliced thinly
- 2 tbsp red wine vinegar
- 6 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 10 smallish, sweet tomatoes
- 1 cucumber, chilled
- 25 kalamata olives
- 1 tbsp capers, drained (or rinsed if packed in salt)
- 3 sprigs fresh oregano, leaves picked and roughly chopped, or a generous pinch of dried oregano
- 150g feta
METHOD: Whisk the vinegar with half the oil and stir into the onion. Leave to soak for one hour.
Cut the tomatoes into generous bite-sized chunks. Roughly chop the cucumber into chunks and arrange on a serving platter. Add the tomatoes, onions (reserving any liquid), the olives and the capers.
Whisk the rest of the oil into any liquid remaining in the onion bowl then use this to dress the salad, along with most of the oregano.
Crumble the feta on top and sprinkle with the remaining oregano before serving.
