The Summer of One Love.
It’s all about sunbathing, sandals, staycations and salads. Lots of salads. Delicious, fresh, juicy salads that make you feel amazing and are perfect for those warm summer nights when standing over a hot hob as your make-up melts off just isn’t going to cut it.
But mid way through the summer, a bowl of leaves and a few tomatoes is getting bit old. Time to spice up your salads with our 4 top tips and bonus recipe at the bottom….
Tip 1: Fruit is your friend !
Your savoury senses may be telling you to avoid fruit in your main course, but there’s nothing quite like the sweetness of juicy fruit to bring a burst of the tropical to your salad. We love to add fresh pineapple and watermelon to our Buddha Bowls, with their sugary tang being the perfect complement to spicy jerk and, in particular, halloumi.
Tip 2: Get your ribbon on
The downside of a salad is always the chopping part… so much chopping. But what if we told you it doesn’t have to be that way? You can avoid the chopping and give your salad a professional feel at the same time by using a potato peeler to create ribbons!
We love to add ribbons of raw squash and carrots to our Sunshine Salad – the orange colour stands out perfectly against green rocket. You can ribbon anything you fancy – from asparagus to zucchini – it just needs to be moderately hard in texture (don’t go ribboning those tomatoes now).
Tip 3: Carbs can be salad too you know!
Just because you’re enjoying a light summer salad doesn’t mean you need to drop the carbs entirely! They’re important for energy and are especially important if you’re enjoying a few cocktails alongside your leaves. You’ll thank yourself the next day.
We love to add rice to our Buddha Bowls – it’s a great gluten-free option. For extra protein, you can also try steamed quinoa. It can be tricky to cook it well but it’s super light and filling at the same time when done right!
Tip 4: The dressing on the salad is the icing on the cake
So you’ve got fruit, you’ve got ribbons, you’ve even gone to Waitrose and found yourself some quinoa. But do you really have a salad if you don’t have a dressing to set it all off?
A good salad dressing should incorporate 3 key ingredients – a fat (usually olive oil, but it could be yoghurt or mayo), an acid (like lemon or vinegar) and seasoning (salt, herbs or spices!) Why not spice things up with this zingy lime & chilli dressing?
Lime & Chilli Salad Dressing Recipe
All you need is:
- 100 ml extra-virgin olive oil
- The juice of 2 fresh limes
- 1 tbsp of fresh parsley, chopped
- A quick squeeze of honey (or 1 tsp of sugar syrup for a vegan alternative)
- 1 garlic clove, crushed – or ½ tsp of dry garlic powder
- ½ tsp of chilli powder (or more if you dare)
- ½ fresh red chilli, chipped
- Salt & pepper to taste
Simply mix the ingredients together, and drizzle over your summer salad! You can get a sweeter version with a bit more honey, or go tangier with some extra lime juice.
Looking for something to pair with your salad? How about our Jerk Pit Wings?
