Five of my favourite salads from 2020

Hi Everyone!

As we kick off 2021 during this rather wet summer I wanted to share with you five of my favourite salads from 2020. Whilst it is not a particularly hot summer so far, the rain has made it very muggy and the perfect weather for a yummy fresh salad, so here they are.

My number one all time favourite: Thai Beef Salad from Marie Claire

“At Marie Claire we believe good food is a combination of fresh ingredients and uncomplicated layers of flavour. When you start with quality produce, a few simple flavours will complement and contrast with your base ingredients to create the perfect taste experience. Think of food with passion, not anxiety, and feel free to substitute and add ingredients as you please. This is often how personalised culinary masterpieces are created.”

I absolutely love this quote from the front of the Marie Claire book simply called Cooking. It is so very true that people get so overwhelmed with the whole deciding, shopping, cooking thing that they forget to allow themselves to be in the moment. I say that without being some amazing and fabulous cook, I just like doing it. (most of the time)

Anyway, this salad is great for anytime of the year, even though we automatically think that salads should only be served in the summer. I have made various Thai Beef salads over the years but this one just hits the spot. I did, as suggested and added and subtracted. I added blanched asparagus, mango, avocado and beautiful little tomatoes. I only used one chilli instead of two. Give it a go and add your own creativity to the dish.

Number two on the list is: Vietnamese Prawn Salad from a Woolworths Magazine

Don’t you just love those little monthly magazines we get from Woolies? Soooo many great recipes that are always economical and pretty much “no fuss”. This little salad is a must for the warmer months and serve it with a huge loaf of soft white bread! Yum yum! The flavours are refreshing and tangy and it is one of those dishes that you can play with and add your own touches. I added mango and avocado and I was thinking that some toasted coconut would work well also, so will try that next time I make it. There is really nothing negative I can tell you about this, it was an absolute winner.

Number three is an old tried and true: Summer Chicken & Melon Salad from the Northern Beaches Cooks

This beautiful summer salad was originally a Women’s Weekly recipe I believe, although not entirely sure but I found it in this cookbook that was put together some years ago by the Northern Beaches Christian School to raise money and it has served me well over the years. The recipe calls for chicken breasts to be poached and then sliced when cool which I did and they were very tender, however, if you want to throw this together and you are short of time you could shred a BBQ’d chook and use that. I add loads of extras too. Grapes, mango, avocado and walnuts. If the mandarines are good you could add segments of those as well. I like to put my salad on a bed of baby spinach which adds a little more texture, colour and flavour not to mention the fact that they are so very good for you. (I am a bit of a baby spinach addict). The dressing is simple and could be made hours ahead. The combination of the lemon and ginger with that dash of honey is truly yummy. One of those salads you really feel satisfied with.

So to number four: BBQ’d Salmon Salad with Dill from a friend

The BBQ’d salmon was the biggest hit. I just purchased fillets from Woolies and cut them into three (skin on). The marinade is so simple combining the beautiful flavours of yoghurt, dijon mustard, lemon and dill. I serve this on a bed of salad so choose the things you love. My favourites are mango, avocado, medley of baby tomatoes and some cucumber with mixed leaves. You could BBQ the fillets and serve them once cool but I love to throw them straight on top of the salad.

And last but not least number five: Prawn, Berry, Melon and Feta Salad from one of those cards you get in Woolies

This prawn salad could not be any simpler. I was lucky enough to get green prawns on special from Woolies and I BBQ’d these after tossing them in oil and seasoning with salt and pepper. The dressing is only three ingredients and combined with the feta, watermelon, mint and blueberries it is extremely moreish.

Hope you enjoy these salads this summer….

From my table to yours with love x

Thai Beef Salad

Feel free to add all sorts of lovely things to this delicious salad

450 g Rump steak
3 tsp Soy sauce
2 cloves Garlic (crushed)
2 tbsp Lime juice
150 g Assorted salad greens
1/3 c Mint leaves
1/3 c Basil leaves
1/4 c Coriander leaves
1 Cucumber (sliced)

Dressing

2 Red chillies (chopped)
3 tbsp Soy Sauce (extra)
2 tbsp Lime juice (extra)
2 tsp Palm sugar
2 Kaffir lime leaves (shredded)

Place steak, soy sauce, garlic and lime juice in a bowl and allow to stand for 10 minutes. Cook steak on a preheated hot char grill for 1-2 minutes on each side or until cooked to your liking. Cover steak and set aside. Arrange lettuce, mint, basil, coriander and cucumber on serving plates. Slice beef thinly and place on top of salad.

Dressing:

Combine all ingredients and give a good shake to dissolve sugar and mix the flavours. Pour dressing over the salad and serve.

Vietnamese Prawn Salad

2 tbs fish sauce
2 tbs white sugar
2 limes (rind finely grated, juiced)
1 garlic clove (crushed)
2 long red chillies (sliced (use one if this will be too hot))
2 kaffir lime leaves (finely shredded)
500 g cooked king or tiger prawns (peeled, deveined)
1 lebanese cucumber
60 g baby rocket (or mixed salad greens)
250 g grape tomatoes (halved)
1 french shallot (peeled, thinly sliced)
2 tbsp toasted chopped peanuts
½ c coriander leaves

Combine fish sauce and sugar in a shallow bowl and stir to dissolve sugar. Add lime rind, juice, garlic, chilli and kaffir lime leaves. Add prawns and toss well. Cover and refrigerate for 15 mins.
Meanwhile, halve the cucumber lengthways and scoop out the flesh. Slice on an angle
Combine rocket, cucumber, tomato, shallot and coriander on a platter. Add prawns and drizzle with the marinade. Top with peanuts.

Summer Chicken & Melon Salad

A salad to which you can add many extras eg. grapes, mango, mandarine segments, nuts

6 chicken breast fillets
1 c white wine
1 c water
2-3 whole black peppercorns
2 sprigs celery leaves
2 sprigs parsley
2 sticks celery (finely chopped)
2 tbsp parsley (finely chopped)
½ rockmelon (peeled, seeded and cut into 2cm pieces)
any extra fruit you may like to add

Ginger Mayonnaise

½ c egg mayonnaise
½ c light sour cream
grated rind of one lemon
⅓ c lemon juice
2 tsp honey
1 tbsp grated fresh ginger

Place chicken fillets, wine, water, peppercorns, celery leaves and parsley in a frying pan. Cover and heat to simmering point. Poach chicken gently for 5-8 minutes or until just cooked. Remove chicken from pan and allow to cool. Slice into bit-size pieces and set aside to cool in the refrigerator.
For the mayonnaise, combine all the ingredients in a bowl or jug, and mix well.
Place sliced chicken, rockmelon, celery and parsley in a large bowl. (and any extra fruit you wish to add)
Add mayonnaise and toss gently until evenly coated.
Spoon salad onto a large serving platter or bowl and garnish with extra parsley and perhaps some walnuts.

Salmon salad with dill

3 salmon fillets (each one cut into three)
2 tbsp greek yoghurt (be generous)
2 tbsp dijon mustard (be generous)
2 tbsp chopped dill

Salt skin of salmon, mix all other ingredients together. Spread mixture over top and sides of salmon. Refrigerate until ready to BBQ. Cook to your liking, then serve on salad (ingredients of your choice).