Cauliflower “potato” salad

If you are anything like me, you may have indulged a little too much over the Christmas period. Actually, it was more than just the Christmas period in my case, with celebrations and other festivities kicking off in November and running all the way through to the New Year. The food was abundant, the drinks were flowing and my morning walks, whilst regular, were probably not enough to balance out the indulgence.

So I guess it ought to have been no surprise when my clothes felt a little tighter than usual when I returned to work last week. Slouchy summer shorts and dresses can be far more forgiving than a tailored suit, it seems.

With a view to getting things ‘back into balance’ we tend to keep carbs at dinner time light. We don’t cut them out altogether (I could not think of anything worse!) but we’ll make substitutions where we can. Cauliflower rice instead of regular rice, zucchini noodles instead of pasta…you get the idea.

When I had a craving for potato salad recently (but not wanting to get the ‘carb load’ that comes with my usual version) I decided to try a cauliflower version instead. Still laden with all things that make a potato salad yummy, of course.

I started by steaming some cauliflower florets until they were just tender. While warm, I added them to a mixture of mayonnaise, sour cream, celery, pickles, Dijon mustard and my favourited ingredient, dill. I then covered the salad and placed it in the fridge, allowing the flavours to develop overnight.

And, I must say, I’m rather taken with this lovely little salad. So much so that I’ve made it a few time since. Sometimes omitting the sour cream and replacing it with natural yoghurt, other times adding  spring onions, celery salt or a few chopped boiled eggs. It may be low in carbs but its definitely packed with flavour!

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Cauliflower potato salad
Course Salad
Servings
Ingredients
Course Salad
Servings
Ingredients
Instructions
  1. Steam the cauliflower florets until just tender (you want them to retain a little crunch).
  2. Combine the mayonnaise, sour cream and mustard in a large bowl. Add the cauliflower while it is still warm, along with the celery, pickles and dill, and stir to combine.
  3. Cover and place in the fridge for a few hours to allow the flavours to develop.
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Miso chicken salad

Do you ever get stuck in a cooking rut? Using the same recipes, same cooking methods?

For a long time, grilling was my cooking method of choice when it came to chicken. Or possibly even oven baking. But then I discovered poaching, and boy has it been a game changer. The meat is tender, there are no messy grills to clean, and there is usually enough leftover for sandwiches through the week.

It is also a great option to add to salads.

Sometimes I poach the chicken in stock, other times water – with a bunch of herbs, ginger and garlic.

On this occasion, I poached the chicken in stock with a little miso paste. I then shredded the chicken and used it to create a Japanese-inspired miso chicken salad. With wombok, cucumber and radish for crunch, drizzled with a miso / mirin / soy dressing, and finished with a sprinkle of sesame seeds.

We served this for dinner a little while back, and I’ve also had it for lunch on multiple occasions since then. I love that it can be thrown together easily, with minimal fuss, and that it is a little different than my regular salad styles.

Definitely a winner in my book…and a great reminder to get out of my comfort zone in the kitchen!

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Miso Chicken Salad
Course Salad
Keyword salad
Servings
servings
Ingredients
Dressing
Course Salad
Keyword salad
Servings
servings
Ingredients
Dressing
Instructions
  1. Place stock and miso paste in a small saucepan. Add the chicken (adding some additional water if necessary to cover). Bring to the boil over a medium heat, then reduce to a simmer. Cook for 12 to 15 minutes, then cover and set aside in the poaching liquid. Allow to cool a little, then shred.
  2. Meanwhile, divide the salad ingredients amont two serving bowls. Top with shredded chicken.
  3. To make the dressing, whisk together the miso, mirin, soy and sesame in a small bowl. Drizzle over salad, and sprinkle with sesame seeds.
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Indian Green Salad with Mango Chutney Dressing

If your calendar is anything like ours, we are pretty booked up between now and Christmas. Our weekdays are filled with school, ballet classes, swim lessons, and gymnastics classes – oh and work, of course. While our weekends are filled with lots of dinners, parties, festivities and fun. Yes the silly season has arrived – bringing with it lots of good times and, inevitably, an abundance of good food!

Last weekend was no different. We took a whirlwind trip to Sydney for a work dinner for the hubs. Then we headed out for a fantastic degustation dinner to celebrate our 10 year wedding anniversary on the Saturday, followed by an afternoon indulging in an Indian feast superbly put together by my mother-in-law.  Having eaten an abundance of rich foods the days before, I decided to bring an Indian-inspired salad to the dinner, with a view to balancing out the hearty curries and chapatis with a little green.

The salad itself, was rather simple – just crunchy cos lettuce, cucumbers and sliced radishes – surrounded by some pappadums that I had cooked in the microwave.  But the real star of the show was the mango chutney dressing – made with mango chutney (of course), mayonnaise,  lime, olive oil and ginger. Blended to perfection – and serving as not only a salad dressing – but a tasty little dip for the pappadums too.

Indian-inspired, and rather refreshing after a weekend of great food!





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Indian Green Salad with Mango Chutney Dressing

Course Salad
Cuisine Salad
Keyword salad

Prep Time 10 minutes

Servings
people as a side dish


Ingredients

Course Salad
Cuisine Salad
Keyword salad

Prep Time 10 minutes

Servings
people as a side dish


Ingredients


Instructions
  1. To make the dressing - blend the olive oil, lime juice, mango chutney, mayonnaise and ginger until well combined. Pour into a small bowl, and place in the middle of a large salad platter.

  2. Place the lettuce, cucumber and radish around the platter. Arrange the pappadums around the outside.


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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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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!

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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.

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Eggplant Tapenade Tuna Nicoise Salad
Course Salad
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Servings
people
Course Salad
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Servings
people
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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