ALL SEASON SALADS

Last night, all I wanted was salad for dinner. Living in a hot climate - Kuching on the island of Borneo - means sometimes I just want to eat light. Having said that, I don't see why salad for dinner, especially a variety like this, wouldn't work in the Southern Hemisphere as well. The right combo of salads ticks a lot of boxes: Fresh. Nutritious. Delicious. Satisfying. Guilt-free. And even Filling. Try it. Skip the meat, fish, pasta, rice, potatoes for one night. Even my carnivore husband said he would consider. becoming a vegetarian after last night's dinner. Yeah right. Not gonna happen of course, but once in a while, well why not...

PS one of my favourite cookbooks, Yotam Ottolenghi's Plenty More, provided much of the inspiration for these recipes. ❤️

TOMATO AND POMEGRANATE SALAD

IINGREDIENTS

Selection of tomatoes:

red cherry tomatoes,

yellow cherry tomatoes,

plum tomatoes, beefheart tomatoes,

all diced

Red capsicum (pepper) diced same size as tomatoes,

1 small red onion, sliced finely

seeds of 1 medium sized pomegranate

Dressing:

2 cloves of garlic, crushed

1/2 tsp ground allspice

2 tsp white wine vinegar

2 tbsp honey (or pomegranate molasses if you can get it)

60 ml good extra virgin olive oil

1/2 tsp salt

shredded herbs like basil or oregano

METHOD

Mix together the tomatoes, red pepper, onion in a large bowl or flat plate..

In a small bowl, whisk together all the dressing ingredients. Pour over the diced tomatoes, pepper and sliced onion and toss gently.

Scatter the pomegranate seeds and the shredded herbs over the lot.

CURRIED CHICKPEA AND MANGO SALAD

INGREDIENTS

150g dried chickpeas, soaked overnight in plenty of water

1 tsp coriander seeds

1 tsp black mustard seeds

1/2 tsp cumin seeds

1 tsp mild curry powder

1/2 tsp ground turmeric

1 tsp caster sugar

1/2 tsp salt

80ml light oil like sunflower or corn oil

1 small cauliflower broken into little florets

1 large ripe mango (I used the large variety with the red skin but any mango will do)

1 green chilli, seeded and finely chopped handful fresh coriander

juice of one lime

Can add salad leaves, like baby spinach, but I didn't

METHOD

Rinse and drain the chickpeas, place in a medium saucepan with water to cover and simmer gently for 45 - 50 minutes until tender.

Drain and transfer to large salad bowl.

Dry roast coriander, black mustard and cumin seeds n a large sauté pan over medium heat, until fragrant and popping.

Crush roasted seeds to a powder in a spice grinder or mortar and pestle.

Place roasted spice powder in small bowl and add curry powder, turmeric, caster sugar and salt

Without washing the sauté pan, add 40ml of the oil and when hot, add the finely sliced onion. When it begins to colour, pour spices into the pan and stir over low heat until fragrant (about 3 or 4 minutes).

Add spiced onion to the chickpeas in the salad bowl.

In a large saucepan, boil enough water to accommodate the cauliflower florets and blanch for 1 minute. Drain and dry,

Using same sauté pan without washing it, add the rest of the oil (40ml) and the cauliflower, along with a pinch of salt. When it starts to gain colour, add to the chickpea mixture in salad bowl, along with the spicy oil.

If you want to eat it immediately while it's warm, add the mango, chilli, coriander and lime and serve.

Or refrigerate for up to 24 hours and add mango, chilli, coriander and lime juice just before serving.

SIMPLE GREEN SALAD

INGREDIENTS

1 whole Romaine or butter leaf lettuce, washed, dried and shredded

1/2 Radicchio, washed, dried and shredded

Handful of watercress, washed, dried and chopped

1 or 2 ripe avocados, sliced

Dressing

2 cloves garlic, crushed

2 tbsp Dijon mustard

2 tbsp Balsamic vinegar

1 tbsp honey

50ml quality extra virgin olive oil

METHOD

In a large salad bowl, gently miix salad leaves and avocado.

To make dressing, place all ingredients in a glass jar, whisk, or place the lid on and give it a good shake.

Pour over the green salad.