Category Archives: Salads

Passion Kale Salad with Grapes

Let me introduce you to a new couple, Passion fruit and Kale. They say opposites attract, right?

Kale being strong, textured, dark and rough, and Passion fruit being delicate, perfumed, sweet and juicy.

These two go together so well. I wanted to find something completely different from the most obvious choices to accompany the kale, giving it sweetness and something very different.

The addition of Grapes I love because to me they are like little explosions of sweet juice.

The nuts have had a turn in the pan with a bit of honey and salt to give them crunch and flavour. So to make a long story short, I think you’re really gonna like this one and it’s so pretty too.

The essential trick is to massage the Kale long enough for the right texture, it’s also easier to digest this way and it becomes a little softer.

Serves 4 as a side

Ingredients;

1 12 oz./350 gr. bag of (organic) washed and chopped Kale

juice of half a lemon

1 tbsp. Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1/4 tsp Himalayan Salt

1 tbsp. Raw Honey

freshly Black Pepper

1/2 C. red grapes cut in half

1 passion fruit. (wrinkled fruit means sweeter)

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1/3 C. Walnuts roughly chopped

1 tbsp. Honey

a sprinkling of Himalayan Salt

Method;

Get out a tray and cover with parchment paper.

Put a frying pan on to medium heat. Toast the walnuts for about three minutes until golden, add the salt and honey. Cook for an other minute or so until syrupy and sticky. Take off the heat and pour the nuts onto the tray with parchment paper. Let cool.

Put the Kale in a bowl. Add salt, lemon juice and olive oil. With very clean hands, start massaging and squeezing the kale, for about ten minutes. Until it turns darker and softer.

Spoon out half of the Passion fruit and add the tablespoon honey, incorporate in the kale salad and mix.

Place the Kale on a pretty serving dish or plate. Decorate with the grapes and nuts. Spoon the other half of the passion fruit pulp out on top of the kale salad.

Not quite what you’re looking for? How about Harvest Pumpkin Salad, baked Halloumi & Chantherelles with Maple Balsamic Vinaigrette.

Harvest Pumpkin Salad, baked Halloumi and Chantherelles with Maple Balsamic Vinaigrette.

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I’ve got Pumpkin on my mind. Everywhere I look I see pumpkins, everything I read seems to be about pumpkins and now I can’t stop thinking about them So rather than fight it, I’d better embrace it.

No, in all seriousness I love pumpkins and I am very happy with the vast amount of Pumpkin recipes going around . In magazines, on tv and online. I have come up with a few myself and this is the first one. I had it for dinner tonight and it was so satisfying and delicious I couldn’t wait to share it. Usually I am not a fan of just having a salad for dinner because I get hungry after about an hour. But it has been two hours since I had my dinner and I think I am going to be ok until breakfast.

This salad does have a few steps to prepare but then again it is a dinner substitute so there is some work and cooking involved. But fun work….promise. And it is so pretty and delicious you could easily serve it for an informal dinner party with some freshly baked bread.

Serves 4

Ingredients for the salad;

1 lb roast pumpkin cubes
2 bags of lettuce mix, about 8 oz.
4 oz. of canned lentils, drained
Traditional Halloumi Cheese, 7 oz
14 oz. Chanterelles, gently wiped clean
1 large red onion, peeled cut in half and into slivers
1/3 C. Parsley leafs whole
1/4 C. dried Organic Cranberries, soaked for at least 30 minutes
1/2 C. Bacon in smallish dice, (omit for vegetarians)
1/2 C. Maple candied All Natural Roasted Pecans (Unsalted)
Maple Balsamic Vinaigrette
Roast pumpkin cubes;
Pre heat oven to 350 ° F/ 180 ° C
1 lb. fresh cubed Pumpkin, peeled and seeds removed
1/4 tsp. pumpkin spice mix
1/4 tsp. ground cumin
1/4 tsp. sweet smoked paprika
1/4 tsp. Himalayan salt
2 tsp. olive oil

Toss everything together and place on a baking tray covered with parchment paper. Roast for 20 minutes. Toss pumpkin half way thru cooking.

Remove from oven and let sit at room temperature.

Maple candied Pecans;

1/2 C. All Natural Roasted Pecans (Unsalted)

2 tbsp Maple Syrup

Toast the pecans in a dry frying pan for 2 minutes until pecans smell toasted. Add the maple syrup and cook for two more minutes, until syrup has reduced and all is sticky and deep golden brown. Transfer the pecans to a plate covered with parchment paper. Immediately separate the pecans with two forks. Let cool completely.

Warning: Caramel of any kind gets extremely hot so do not touch with your fingers or taste it!!!

Maple Balsamic Vinaigrette;

2 tsp. prepared Dijon mustard
4 tsp. Maple Syrup
3 tbsp. Thick Balsamic Vinegar
6 tbsp. olive oil
salt and pepper

Whisk the first three ingredients together until well blended and slowly add the olive oil until emulsified. Add a salt and pepper.

Before we start with the chanterelle and Halloumi it is time to prepare the salad plates first. Or salad platter, which ever you prefer. Place like this

1 Salad leafs

2 onion slivers

3 roast pumpkin cubes

4 lentils

5 parsley leafs

Now back to the chanterelle. Heat a frying pan over high heat and add the bacon dice, cook over moderate heat until really crispy, remove from pan and set aside in a small bowl.

Remove some of the fat from the pan if necessary and put it back on the heat. Add the chanterelle and cook on high heat for about four to five minutes until golden brown. Remove to a plate and put the pan back on the heat. Add the Halloumi slices and bake in a dry pan for about 1 and a half minutes on each side until crispy and soft.

Divide the chanterelle carefully over the salad, scatter with the bacon and add the baked Halloumi slices. Decorate with the maple candies pecans and cranberries and serve straight away with the Maple Balsamic vinaigrette.

Not quite what you were looking for? How about Endive Gratin with Baked Apples, Blue cheese and Thyme

Quinoa Tabbouléh with Chickpeas and Pomegranite Seeds

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Serves 4 as a side

Quinoa is such a versatile grain, I love it! It’s cooked in minutes and basically you can do anything you like with it once it’s cooked. Plus point; it freezes really well too. Just put it in a zip lock bag in the freezer and scoop out what you need.

During the Summer, when it’s too warm to eat hot dishes I like making salads like these, where there is some sort of grain involved and you have your veggies and carbs in one dish.

Tabbouleh is a middle eastern dish usually made with Bulgur, a kind of dried cracked wheat, but I like to use Quinoa instead since it has a lot more protein, less carbs and more fibre. Also it’s Gluten free. Quinoa to me is a super grain, the seeds grow on large feather like branches and can be black, red or white. In Inca quinoa means “mother grain”, and I can see why.

However when you cook Quinoa it is very important that you rinse the seeds very well before cooking since they are covered in saponin, a bitter substance that works like a natural insect repellant for the plant.

Ingredients;

1 1/2 C. Quinoa
3 C. Stock, vegetable or chicken
1 can of chickpeas, drained
1/2 C. Pomegranite seeds
1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/4 cup good olive oil
Himalayan salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 cup minced scallions, white and green parts
1 cup chopped fresh mint leaves
1 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley
1 cucumber, unpeeled, seeded, and medium-diced

Method;

Cook the Quinoa according to package instructions or;

Wash the Quinoa thoroughly and put in a pan, add the stock. Bring to a gently boil and cook with the lid on the pan for about 10 – 12 minutes , taste and check to see if the Quinoa is done.

Place the Quinoa in a large bowl and let it cool before adding the chickpeas, pom seeds, scallions, cucumber, herbs, oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper. Toss and serve either cooled or at room temperature. Great with grilled meats!

Enjoy

Looking for more great recipes to try? Be sure to check out this Watermelon Salad

Beet Salad

8 Replies

Prep time …. 5 MINUTES

Serves 4 as a side dish

This is such an insanely pretty colored dish. I always serve it either with meatballs or steak for some reason. I think it just goes really well with meat I guess.

I always try to save some for lunch the next day but I rarely succeed. You’ll see for yourself.

The great thing is that you use the vacuum packed beets, so it takes 5 minutes to make, how great is that? Ok, here we go….set the timer.

Ingredients;

1 lb. pack vacuum packed cooked beets
1/4 C. greek yoghurt
1 tbsp honey
salt and pepper
1 tbsp. chopped parsley
1 tbsp. chopped dill
4 spring onions, sliced into fine rings (reserve some for decorating)
2 tbsp pickle juice

Method;

Open and drain the beets. Cut in slices or chunks. Put in a bowl.

Add the remaining ingredients. Toss. Sprinkle over the remaining spring onions. Serve.

Enjoy

Myra Xo

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