SUPER VIBRANT SWISS CHARD SALAD

I know there probably aren't many of us out there... but I am a serious salad fan! They're fresh, flavoursome and full of essential vitamins and minerals - what could be better?! The answer is very few things in my book. 

I am always trying to find a new combination that ticks all the boxes. This one, topped with the insanely delicious Romesco dressing from Isa Chandra Moskowitz's Appetite for Reduction, was a combination of finely shredded swiss chard (but you could use kale), diced tomato, diced red onion, diced lebanese cucumber, and some crushed walnuts. 

This salad is a nutritional winner - the dark greens provide calcium, vitamin K and iron (keep in mind that iron and calcium will compete for absorption); the tomato provides vitamin C (which increases iron absorption) and lycopene - which has been linked with a lower risk of some cancers; and the walnuts are a great source of omega-3 (as well as being just-plain-delicious!). 

BLACK SESAME SOBA NOODLE SALAD

I am a big fan of asian-style salads - especially those piled high with soba noodles, heaps of crunchy vegetables and salty-sweet dressings... my mouth is watering just thinking about it! This was my attempt at a quick soba noodle salad for lunch - craving satisfied!

How? 

TOFU, KALE + BROCCOLI BOWL

after a “blah” day at work i felt that some comfort food was in order! ok, sure!… so salads aren’t in most people’s comfort food category but this one is hearty, flavourful and - with a 90’s classic french-onion-dip style dressing – ticks all the boxes for me.

plus – despite having only six main components – this salad bowl packs in over 50g of protein, a solid dose of key minerals calcium and zinc, and a bounty of phytochemicals – winner!

how?

1 cup of cooked brown rice

1 cup of cooked lentils

1 cup of broccoli florets

2 cups of kale, roughly shredded

2 tablespoons of raw pepitas (pumpkin seeds)

1 block of tofu, cubed

for the dressing…

¼ cup of vegan sour cream (I used toffuti)

1 teaspoon of dijon mustard

½ teaspoon of onion powder

pan fry the tofu until golden brown and set aside. sauté off the kale and broccoli until tender (but retaining a little bite and their vibrant colour). toss it all together and drizzle over the creamy french onion style dressing – enjoy!

serves 2

MIDDLE-EAST INSPIRED SALAD BOWL

i was a little disorganised and lacking motivation tonight... so a creamy cashew based dressing was off the cards. instead i tried a vegan mayo + baharat spice mix blend dressing with my middle eastern (or more so mediterranean) salad bowl medley and was pleasantly surprised. 

how? 

1/2 cup of red capsicum, diced

2 ripe tomatoes, diced

6 medium cos lettuce leaves, roughly shredded

2 cups of brown rice, cooked

1 cup of lentils, cooked

6-8 olive, sliced (i used kalamata as this was all i had on hand... but green would work great!)

2 tablespoons of raw pepitas (pumpkin seeds)

1/4 cup of vegan mayonnaise (i used praise 99% fat free mayonnaise)

1 tablespoon of baharat (i will post the recipe for this shortly for those keen to blend their own)

sprinkling of nigella seeds (optional) 

blend the mayo and spice mix together. toss everything together. dig in!

serves 2

PROBIOTIC + PROTEIN POWER BOWL

with over 50g of protein [per serve], 885mg of calcium [per serve] and a probiotic punch - this power bowl is not only super healthy but super tasty and super satisfying! 

how? 

1 cup of cooked brown rice

1 cup of cooked puy (a.k.a french) lentils (i whacked mine in the pressure cooker with a few bay leaves for 10 minutes) 

400g block of extra firm tofu, cubed and pan fried (i drizzled mine with a little black cherry vincotto for a bit more bite)

2-3 cups of roughly shredded cos lettuce

** amended - 1/2 cup of cucumber, diced

for the dressing... 

2 tablespoons of miso paste (i used white)

2 tablespoons of tahini (i used hulled)

1 small clove of garlic

1/4 to 1/3 cup of water

blend all dressing ingredients together in a wet mill (or with a bamix) until thoroughly combined. toss everything together with a generous drizzling of the dressing and enjoy! 

serves 2

BEET + LENTIL SALAD W/ GARLICKY CASHEW DRESSING

after a few unpredictably wet and cooler days... october has finally started to heat up! in keeping with the warmer weather (and my default ♥ of salads) i piled up some nutty brown rice, thyme-infused green/brown lentils, refreshing cucumber slices, crisp cos lettuce leaves, julienned raw beets and a generous dolloping of punchy, creamy, garlicky dressing - yum! 

how? 

2 cups of cooked brown rice

2 cups of cooked green/brown lentils (i whacked mine in the pressure cooker with a few sprigs of fresh thyme - kindly donated from a friends front garden - for 8 mins) 

2 cups of cucumber slices (i like mine cut on the bias with a bit of the seeds removed - which i snack on whilst prepping the rest of my salad)

8-12 baby cos lettuce leaves, roughly torn or cut on a bias

1 fresh medium beetroot, thinly julienned on a V-slicer/mandolin 

for the dressing...

2 cloves of garlic

1/4 cup of spring onions, roughly chopped

1/2 cup of cashews, soaked and drained

1/2 cup of vegetable stock

1/4 cup of lemon juice

2 tablespoons of nutritional yeast flakes

place all your dressing ingredients into a small food processor (i used a bamix and wet mill) and blend until smooth. you can use it straight away or store in the fridge for later (the dressing in my photo was from the day before and has thickened up from being in the fridge). 

pile up the layers, or toss to combine - top with a generous dolloping of dressing and dig in! 

serves 2 for a filling main or 4 for those less hungry/entrée-size meal

ROASTED CAULIFLOWER SALAD W/ CESAR CHAVEZ DRESSING

simple but oh-so-delicious! this is a fab way of incorporating cauli into your day. with a quick bake in the oven, this roasted cauliflower salad will put a smile on your face. toss some roughly torn cos lettuce leaves into a bowl, top with 1/2 a cup of your fav wholegrain (i used burgal), whack on some of that amaze roasted cauli and smother (in moderation of course) with cesar chavez dressing (from the amazing isa chandra's appetite for reduction). get ready to swoon!

MOROCCAN-INSPIRED COUS COUS + CHICKPEA SALAD W/ CREAMY VEGAN PRESERVED LEMON DRESSING

i ♥ salads! there are so many delicious alternatives its hard to choose... but today i was inspired by the jar of preserved lemons in my fridge (gifted to me by my bro, who is a boss in the kitchen!) this dreamy creamy vegan preserved lemon dressing is the perfect accompaniment to a moroccon-style cous cous + chickpea salad

how?

6-8 leaves of cos lettuce, roughly shredded
1 tomato, diced
1/2 tin of canned chick peas, drained and rinsed
1/2 cup of cous cous
1/2 cup of boiling water
pinch of sumac (optional)

for the dressing:
2 tablespoons of cashew pieces
1/2 a preserved lemon
pinch of cracked pepper
1-2 teaspoons of apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon of onion, diced
4 tablespoons of boiling water

place the cous cous into a small bowl and pouring over the 1/2 cup of boiling water. cover and set aside whilst you prepare the dressing.

place all the dressing ingredients into a small food processor (or wet mill) and blend together until smooth and creamy (approximately 4-5 mins). if the dressing is a little thick add extra water until you reach the desired consistency.

assemble your salad and drizzle over the creamy preserved lemon dressing. serve with a sprinkle of sumac and enjoy!

serves 1 for main or 2 for entree

BARLEY, ROCKET, ROAST PUMPKIN + CHICKPEA SALAD

serves 4

cooking time: nil

what you need:

1/2 cup of uncooked pearl barley, cooked

400g can of chickpeas, drained and rinsed

1/2 medium butternut pumpkin, roasted

4-6 cups of rocket (arugula) 

add your ingredients to a large bowl and toss to combine. season with salt + pepper. serve with your dressing of choice, or dressing-free, for a hearty, healthy lunchbox idea. 

[energy: 745kJ / 178 Kcal; protein: 8.3g; fat: 2.1g; carbs: 26.65g; sodium: 167mg]

ROAST PUMPKIN, COUS COUS, CHICKPEA, ROCKET + CHERRY TOMATO SALAD W/ CREAMY MINT DRESSING

yet another satisfying salad - this time with peppery rocket, sweet and juicy cherry tomatoes, sweet and tasty roasted pumpkin, hearty chickpeas, and fluffy cous cous with a creamy mint dressing. 

for the dressing

1/2 cup of loosely packed fresh mint leaves

2 tablespoons of cashew pieces

1 tablespoon of freshly squeezed lemon juice 

1/4 cup of water

1/4 teaspoon of salt

place all ingredients into a small food processor or wet mill - using a bamix. blitz for 5 minutes or until creamy and perfectly smooth. serve your salad and top with lashings of this creamy minty dressing - yum! 

serves 2-4 

PAD THAI-STYLE SALAD W/ A CREAMY PEANUT-LIME DRESSING

the latest in my salad series was a pad thai-style salad smothered in a creamy peanut-lime dressing. as i had no limes on hand i subbed the ¼ cup of lime juice for fresh lemon juice, reduced the water by half and added the extra peanuts for the salad to the dressing to make it a little less loose and a lot more creamy. this crunchy salad was crisp and refreshing and really quick to pull together with the right ingredients on hand. i did have to make a special trip to the asian grocer for some bean sprouts as i decided it just wouldn’t be pad thai-style without them. although this hasn’t been my fav salad from isa chandra’s appetite for reduction so far, it was a nice change to feast on some fresh asian flavours (and after the rotten day i had, this fresh and crunchy salad had a pretty tough job of inspiring any sense of enthusiasm from me)

CHICKPEA, BLACK QUINOA + ROCKET SALAD W/ BALSAMIC VINAIGRETTE

working with my left-over black quinoa and isa chandra's appetite for reduction in hand, i smashed together the everyday chickpea-quinoa salad, swapping out the romaine lettuce for rocket (arugula) and skipping the red onion on this occasion  as i planned to eat half for dinner and save half for my lunchbox tomorrow, i held off dousing this with the accompanying creamy balsamic vinaigrette - so you will have to trust me that it was yum (and also try it too as you will most probably, almost definitely love it like i did).

CATALAN COUSCOUS SALAD W/ PEARS + ROMESCO DRESSING

continuing to work my way through my growing vegan cookbook collection, i threw together isa chandra's catalan cous cous salad with pears and amazingly delicious romesco dressing. cous cous is so simple to prepare, slicing a crisp pear takes seconds and blitzing up the dressing will be done in minutes. as quick as this fab meal comes together it will dissapear off your plate - an absolute winner!

this is the second recipe i have attempted from isa chandra's appetite for reduction and i am really loving this book! the recipes are low-fat (excellent!), the ingredients are stock-standard in a moderately established vegan pantry, it takes no time at all to have a really special looking dish on the table, and 2 out of 2 have been really, really, really satisfying and tasty.

VIBRANT BITE-SIZE BEAN SALAD

how?

1 tin of canned chickpeas, drained and rinsed
½ cup of frozen corn, defrosted
½ cup of frozen peas, defrosted
½ cup of frozen edamame beans, defrosted
½ a medium red capsicum, diced

combine the ingredients in a bowl and mix to combine. serve along side your fave salads and enjoy

serves 4

SASSY VEGAN POTATO SALAD

i am a big ginger fan, so when making my sassy vegan potato salad you can be sure that ginger will feature prominently! i often make up a batch and then keep it in the fridge (for up to 3-4 days), adding it to my lunchbox along with a variety of other tasty vegan salads each day - yum! 

how? 

10-12 small potatoes (you could also use large potatoes and cut these into smaller pieces, i personally prefer small for the extra skin content)

1/4 cup of fresh mint, finely diced

1/4 cup of fresh coriander, finely diced

1-2 cm piece of fresh ginger, finely grated

1 tablespoon of evoo

salt + pepper, to taste

boil you potatoes in a medium saucepan until tender, testing with a sharp knife or skewer, then drain. add the mint, coriander, ginger, evoo, salt and pepper and cover with the saucepan lid. i then give the pot a shake (making sure to hold onto the lid), to combine the ingredients, alternatively you could stir these through with a spoon. by adding the herbs, ginger, oil and seasoning whilst warm, the potatoes will absorbed the flavours perfectly. allow to cool and serve, or store in the fridge for later use. 

serves 4-6

ROASTED VEG, PINE NUT + ROCKET SALAD

to me, peppery rocket tops the list of fab salad ingredients... and this salad is super simple, tasty and the perfect partner for any "+ salad" dish!

how?

note: you will need to roast some vegetables (such as sweet potato, pumpkin and beetroot) and leave these to cool, unless you already have some left overs on hand!

3 cups of rocket (arugula)

2 tablespoons of pine nuts

1 cup of roasted vegetables, diced

toss your rocket across a large serving platter, scatter over the diced vegetables and top with a sprinkling of pine nuts. if you are not a fan of naked salad, you can dress it with some balsamic and evoo (or use some of the 'juices' from your roast vegetables, if reserved) 

dig in! 

serves 4

CRUNCHY KIM CHEE, COLESLAW + SPROUT SALAD

i am on a roll with my sprouting efforts and, as a result, have been enjoying the 'fruits' of my labour in a variety of salads and other raw dishes. this one was a big success thanks to the added instant kim chee - which lends such a massive flavour explosion to the dish that i just had to post about it! 

how?

300g of curly green cabbage, sliced into 2-3cm strips

1 tablespoon of salt

50g of spring onions, finely sliced

30g daikon radish, grated

8g fresh ginger, minced

1 tablespoon of garlic, minced

1/2 teaspoon of red chili flakes

soy sauce (optional)

wash and dry your cabbage and place it in a large bowl. sprinkle over the salt, massaging this into the leaves. cover and leave to stand for at least 3 hours. take handfuls of the cabbage and wring out as much water as possible, returning the wrung cabbage to your bowl. add the spring onions, daikon radish, ginger, garlic and red chili flakes. your instant kim chee is now ready to serve or can be stored in the fridge for up to a week. easy! 

MOROCCAN CARROT SALAD

the word salad is so vague and that is exactly what makes it so intriguing! when planning my lunches i know that salad is on the cards but the options are almost limitless and (almost) guarantee healthy, low-fat eating. 

this moroccan carrot salad is super simple and requires little time, ingredient and know-how! 

how? 

5 medium carrots, peeled and sliced into 5mm slices

1/2 cup of dried dates, sliced

1/4 cup of slivered almonds, toasted

juice of 1 lemon

1 table spoon of evoo

1 teaspoon of cumin

1 teaspoon of cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon of cayenne

1/4 teaspoon of salt

blanch your carrot slices in boiling water for 1-2 minutes until tender (but still with a bite!) place all ingredients into a large mixing bowl all ingredients and mix to combine. serve or store in the fridge to allow the flavours to infuse. will keep in the frige for up to 4 days

serves 6 

SPROUTED SPRING SALAD

so spring has finally sprung and i am certainly greatful for the gorgeous sunny days, despite the fact that all my winter clothes finally arrived from spain! but in the spirit of spring i decided a fresh, colorful, and crunchy salad was in order... with my first lentil sprout 'harvest' as the star - so good!

how?
1/4 avocado, peeled and diced
1/4 cup of cherry or grape tomatoes, halved or whole (as desired) 
small handful of snow pea sprouts
4-5 edible flowers 
1/4 cup of lentil sprouts
2-3 strips of semi dried tomatoes, sliced into strips

toss together in a serving bowl, placing the edible flowers on top as a vibrant and peppery garnish and  dig in! (you can dress your salad with your fav vinaigrette, creamy-style dressing, or with a little oil from the semi dried tomatoes... i cut out dressings to lower the fat and find the avo does a good job alone!) 

serves 1 

CRISP + CRUNCHY SPROUTED SALAD

inspired by the amazing salad I enjoyed in cork from ‘very health food’ (see my post on cork) i decided to buy my own sprouting setup. my first ‘harvest’ were some crispy and tasty mung bean sprouts perfect for this crisp and crunchy sprouted salad.

how?

1-2 cups of your favourite salad basics (i used carrot, cucumber, mushrooms and some chickpeas); quantity depending on how hungry you are

small handful of fresh bean sprouts

using a V-slicer i finely shredded the carrot and cucumber (omitting the seedy section). i then chopped up the mushrooms into small cube-like pieces and mixed my basics with ½ cup of chickpeas and the yummy sprouts. for a bit of bite I drizzled a little sweet chilli sauce over the top and got stuck in!

serves 1 for a filling lunch