BLAT Salad

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When catching up with some friends the other day, the subject turned to food. More specifically, kids and food. And just how much the little ones can put away.

There were furious nods of agreement when we mentioned that a loaf of bread can disappear in a single afternoon. When only going through 8 litres of milk in a week is considered a ‘good’ week. And when the “I’m hungry” calls start from the moment they arrive home from school.

And while my three girls are no different, I feel as if I’ve gotten off a little more lightly (at least for now) than my friend who has the voracious appetites of three teenage boys to deal with.

We then reminisced about the great banana crisis of 2011, when Cyclone Yasi destroyed over 75% of Australia’s banana crops. Bananas were in such short supply that it was not unusual to see them selling for $3 each! The community was outraged and anyone that walked into work with a coveted banana had their salary questioned!

The irony being that we generally do not hesitate to fork over at least that amount for a single avocado.

$3 for a banana? Outrageous!! $3 for an avocado? Bargain – give me 2!

I had to laugh, for I am most certainly someone that loves avocadoes and they feature quite regularly on our weekly meal plan.

Take this BLAT salad, for instance. Which was thrown together for an easy, speedy weeknight dinner.

Bacon, crunchy lettuce, boiled egg, tomatoes, sauerkraut and cucumber. And, of course, avocado. Which in this case was sprinkled with black chia seeds.

From memory, the avocado was “on sale” for $2.50 and, thinking it was a bargain, I of course grabbed two! Questionable frugality aside, it was a lovely addition to this tasty little salad.

You can find the recipe I used for inspiration here.

Tropical Rice Salad

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As luck would have it, we have been blessed with some gorgeous Spring weather this week. I’m ignoring the fact that the forecast suggests the temperature is set to dip again this weekend though, instead focusing on the hope that the warmer weather will arrive for good soon.

And in celebration of Spring, let me share with you a tasty salad that featured at our recent Father’s Day linner. On that occasion we served the salad as a side dish, but I think it would easily make for a yummy lunch on its own too.

Packed with wombok, brown rice, tomatoes, pineapple and fresh herbs, and jazzed up with toasted coconut and sweet chilli cashews, this salad sure packed a punch.

I used this recipe as a base – swapping in brown rice instead of basmati – and it was super easy to throw together. I loved the crunch of the wombok and cashews, and the sweetness of the pineapple definitely gave the salad a tropical feel. Definitely a salad that will be making further appearances as we head into the warmer months!

Oven-baked edamame felafels

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We tend to have at least one meat-free day a week. It isn’t necessarily ‘planned’,  as such, it just tends to work out that way when we are deciding what our dinners will be for the week. Be it tofu, or perhaps beans, the choices seem to be relatively endless.

One vegetarian product that I always make sure we have in the freezer is edamame. For not only are they great as a snack, or tossed through a salad, but I love using them as ‘base’ in recipes that call for beans. On this particular occasion (which in the interests of full disclosure, was a month or so ago now) edamame starred alongside chickpeas to create some tasty felafels.

And not only were they tasty, they were oven-baked – meaning that they were a healthy version too.

Simply – edamame (defrosted and podded), combined with chickpeas, pistachios, lemon zest and juice, garlic and some spices. Shaped into balls and baked for 30 minutes or so – or until golden brown and lightly crispy.

We served the felafels with wholemeal pita pockets and salad, with a good amount of natural yogurt and hummus on the side- resulting in a rather tasty vegetarian dinner. 

You can find the recipe I used here. 

What about you? What is your favourite vegetarian meal?

Poached chicken and coleslaw salad

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I’ve been back at work for around 6 weeks now, working 3 days per week in the office. Slowly but surely we are working out what is to be the new ‘normal’ – with the 3 days I’m in the office being referred to by the little members in our house as the “rush days”.

For these particular days, bags are packed and clothes are set out the night before, and I spend time preparing as much as I can for lunches over the weekend. I’m generally up at 4.30am to fit in a walk before the household wakes, then it is home to shower, make breakfast, feed the baby, throw smoothies at the biggest kids,   wrangle everyone into clothes and into the car – so that we can leave the house by 7.30am to get to the various daycare / school drop offs and (finally) head into work.

Yes “rush” would be an understatement.

So I’m sure that you can understand that by the third rush day everyone’s energy levels are starting to wane and tempers are running a little high. The kids (and I!) start to get a bit more cranky, and getting out of the house takes a little more gentle persuasion than on the first rush day.

Constant throughout this new ‘normal’, however, is our preference for easy and speedy midweek meals. Actually, not just a preference – a must. Something healthy and that is full of flavour, to keep our batteries recharged.

Take this poached chicken and coleslaw salad for instance. Pulled together with relative ease in no time at all.

I poached chicken breasts in chicken stock, with some peppercorns, ginger and garlic. Shredded then added to a coleslaw salad, made with mesculin, shredded purple cabbage, carrots, spring onions and a little corn I had leftover in the fridge. Dressed simply with sesame oil, soy and lemon juice, and finished with sliced red chilli and a good amount of coriander.

Easy, fuss-free and healthy. Not to mention SPEEDY – giving us more time to prepare for the rush day ahead.

Lime and coriander coleslaw

For our recent Mexican lunch, we served mango margaritas and pulled pork that had cooked in the slow cooker for over 8 hours. These were dished up with a variety of sides – corn tortillas, guacamole, chorizo rice, grated cheese, tomatoes, sour cream and, for a little crunch, coleslaw.

But not just any coleslaw, a lime and coriander coleslaw. Where there was no cheap mayonnaise in sight – rather the salad was packed with fresh coriander and dressed with a combination of lime juice, olive oil, garlic and honey.  Resulting a coleslaw that was much lighter than its mayonnaise-laden counterpart, and with lovely fresh flavours that worked beautifully with the spicy pulled pork tortillas.

Definitely a ‘make again’ dish for our next Mexican feast!





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Lime and Coriander Coleslaw

Course Salad, Side dish
Cuisine Salad

Servings
people as a side dish


Ingredients

Course Salad, Side dish
Cuisine Salad

Servings
people as a side dish


Ingredients


Instructions
  1. Place all the salad ingredients in a bowl, and toss to combine.

  2. Meanwhile, whisk together the olive oil, lime zest and juice, honey and garlic. Season.

  3. Pour over the salad and toss until well combined.


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Radish, Feta and Grain Salad

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You might think that all we have eaten lately is treats. Sure we have had our fair share of slices, sweet treats and cocktails, but I can assure you that we have been balancing out the indulgence with lots of tasty summer salads too. Or attempting to, at least.

This pretty little salad was inspired by one I came across in a recent Taste magazine edition – you can find the recipe online here.  Immediately I was drawn to its vibrant colours, and the fact it included a current love of mine (radishes) was also a big draw card.

I slow cooked the lentils and pearl barley as directed, with the bonus of lots of leftovers to use in lunches and dinners the following days. I swapped rocket for baby spinach, for that was what I had on hand, and used feta in place of goats cheese. The result being a tasty salad, that was packed with flavour and crunch.

On this particular occasion we served the salad as a side dish. Although I think it would have made a tasty meat-free meal on its own too – with the grains offering lots of substance.

And did I mention how pretty it was??

Poached chicken and orange salad

I have, over the years, accumulated a few kitchen ‘gadgets’ that I would now not be without. My food processor and blender get a decent workout on a weekly (if not, daily, basis) and I am in love with my garlic press and citrus zester.

Recently I added a new gadget to my collection – a spiraliser! A gadget that is in no way ‘necessary’, as such, but one that is proving to be a great and interesting addition to the pantry. I’ve spiralised zucchini for pasta, carrots and sweet potatoes for salads, and on this particular occasion – pumpkin.

On the menu? A poached chicken salad with roasted carrots and broccoli, and spiralised pumpkin. Finished with orange slices, almonds and an orange / ginger dressing.

The recipe was inspired by one I found in a Donna Hay magazine, from memory. The chicken was poached in almond milk, garlic and ginger, which was interesting in itself (and reminded me just how simple yet delicious freshly poached chicken can be). I loved the addition of fruit to the salad too, which gave the dish a wonderfully light Summer feel.

Stay tuned for more spiralised salads I suspect!

Print Recipe
 Poached chicken and orange salad
Course Salad
Servings
people
Ingredients
Course Salad
Servings
people
Ingredients
Instructions
  1. Preheat the oven to 180C and line a baking tray with baking paper. Place the broccoli and carrot on the tray, and spray lightly with oil. Bake for 30 minutes or until golden brown.
  2. Place the chicken, almond milk, garlic and 1 tbs ginger in a small saucepan. Bring to a simmer, then reduce heat to low and cook for 15 minutes. Set aside to cool slightly, then transfer the chicken to a board and shred.
  3. Heat 1 tbs oil in a frypan over a medium heat. Cook the pumpkin for a few minutes, stirring, until just softened. Meanwhile, combine the orange juice, 1 tsp ginger and 1 tbs olive oil in a small bowl to make a dressing.
  4. Divide the baby spinach, roasted vegetables, chicken and orange among serving bowls. Top with flaked almonds, and drizzle with the orange ginger dressing, to taste.
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Eggplant Tapenade Tuna Nicoise Salad

Following on from my recent “Eat the Freezer” post, I should probably pull together an “Eat the Pantry” series. For similar to my freezer, my pantry is starting to fill up with lots of bits and pieces.  Half packets of pasta, noodles, vinegars and sauces….

You get the idea.

A little while ago I came across this lovely little eggplant tapenade hiding up the back that, from memory, arrived in a gift box of edible goodies for my birthday. And while I would normally save tapenade for pasta, I had a lighter meal in mind, and so this eggplant tapenade nicoise salad came to be.

I steamed baby chat potatoes then, while they were still warm, stirred through a few generous spoonfuls of the tapenade. The remainder of the salad was built using steamed asparagus and beans, chargrilled corn, mesculin, tinned tuna and, of course, a soft boiled egg.

Despite the abundance of other ingredients, the tapenade really shined! It added lots of flavour to the salad, with no additional dressing required. And while on this occasion I used eggplant tapenade,  I think an olive or pepper tapenade would also work really well.

Print Recipe
 Eggplant Tapenade Tuna Nicoise Salad
Course Salad
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Servings
people
Ingredients
Course Salad
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Servings
people
Ingredients
Instructions
  1. Chargrill corn in a pan until golden brown. Remove kernels and set aside.
  2. Steam chat potatoes for 8 minutes, or until cooked. Place in a large bowl, and while warm, stir through the tapenade.
  3. Steam the asaparagus and beans for 3 to 4 minutes, then refresh by running under cold water.
  4. Add the corn, asparagus, beans, lettuce and tuna to the potatoes, stirring gently to combine.
  5. Place lettuce in serving bowls, and top with the tuna / potato salad mixture, along with two egg halves. Season and serve.
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Sweet Chilli Chicken Soba Salad

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Lately, I’ve really mixing things up when it comes to the ‘carb’ part of our meals. Brown rice and quinoa are undoubtedly the regulars, or polenta if I’ve made a stew, but when it comes to salads I often go with noodles!

On this particular occasion it was soba noodles that added some carbohydrate to our dinner. And given they only require a couple minutes cooking time, it’s no surprise that I find them handy to have in the pantry.

The salad itself was pretty easy to prepare too. I used some leftover shredded chicken – warmed up with a splash of soy sauce and a good amount of sweet chilli sauce. The salad was then built with crunchy lettuce, shredded carrot and cabbage, cucumber, snowpeas, coriander and some extra red chilli for a little heat. Basically whatever I had leftover in the fridge!

From thought to plate in under 15 minutes = winning!

What about you? Are you a fan of noodles in salad?

Grilled eggplant and lentil salad

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I’m going through a bit of a phase.

An eggplant phase.

Yes not the normal sort of phase you might find yourself going through, but its a recent craving that I’ve been more than happy to satisfy.

I suspect it has something do with eggplant’s heartiness. It feels like it adds a bit of bulk to dishes – particularly when you are using it in place of meat, for example.

Take this salad, for instance. So simple to prepare, but quite easily a stand-alone meal (although it would almost certainly work as a tasty side dish too).

I thinly sliced the eggplant, and grilled the slices for 5 minutes or so until soft and golden. Then it was simply a matter of combining the eggplant slices with baby spinach, lentils, capsicum, cucumber and feta – and finishing the dish with a drizzle of balsamic vinegar.

I’d give you a recipe – but there really is no more to it. Just lots of simple, fresh flavours – that come together to make a tasty meal.  Not to mention colourful!