Cook the quinoa according to the packet instructions and allow to cool completely. Dice the sweet peppers, feta and peaches and chop the basil leaves. Mix everything together. Drizzle the pickling liquid from the sweet pepper over the salad or make the Lemon Dressing (search on this blog)
This is without doubt one of the craziest ideas to READ about, but surprisingly satisfying and pleasing in a very old fashioned way. That statement in its own is somewhat out of the ordinary but please try this idea for a quick delicious side dish to smoked and salty meat dishes … you may just have a new favourite recipe!
1 large tin/can of peach halves 100g mature cheddar cheese, grated 60ml mayonnaise 60ml sour cream 125ml feta cheese, crumbed a handful of basil leaves, chopped a handful of pistachio or pine nuts fresh lettuce to serve
Drain the peaches from the syrup. Hold the peach in your hand with the rounded side facing upwards and make a shallow horizontal slice so that the peach can sit on it – cut away as little as possible. Arrange some fresh lettuce on a serving plate and place the peach halves randomly, with the hollow facing upwards. Fill each peach cavity loosely with grated cheddar cheese. Add the yoghurt, sour cream, finely crumbed feta and chopped basil to a small bowl and stir together. Spoon a generous dollop of the dressing onto the cheese in the peach cavity. Scatter the pistachios/pine nuts over the salad and serve with the extra dressing on the side.
This salad goes surprisingly well with any smoked, cured or salty meat dishes that need that boost of natural sweetness.
This is one of the best salad dressing you will ever make AND you can keep it in your refrigerator!! Delicious when drizzled onto seafood!
62ml lemon juice 1 clove garlic, minced 5ml Dijon mustard 1,2ml salt a pinch of ground black pepper 7,5ml honey 62ml olive oil 5ml thyme leaves, chopped
Add the lemon juice, garlic, mustard, salt, a pinch of black pepper and honey to a small bowl and whisk together. Drizzle in the oil while whisking. Keep going until all the oil is incorporated and the mixture has emulsified. Add the thyme leaves and stir through.
Store left-over dressing in a glass jar, in the refrigerator.
30ml butter, melted 15ml olive oil 83ml balsamic vinegar 30ml water 15ml sugar 1,2ml salt about 12 small/medium beetroot baby spinach 5 fresh peaches, stoned and quartered 100g goats cheese 30ml honey
Preheat your oven to 180℃. Add the melted butter, olive oil, balsamic vinegar, water, sugar and salt to a small bowl and whisk everything together. Set aside. Wash and scrub the beetroot and cut off the hairy parts at the root. Half or quarter each, depending on its size and place them in an oven tray. Pour the balsamic mixture over and cover the pan with aluminium foil. Bake the beetroot for 30 minutes, remove the foil, turn the beets and bake for a further 30 minutes or until fully cooked and beautifully glazed. Remove the tray from the oven and allow to cool. Reserve the pan juices. Arrange the baby spinach, cooled beetroot and peach quarters on a serving platter and break the goats cheese over it. Mix together 45ml of the reserved pan juices and the honey and drizzle over the salad. Serve as a side or with a fresh crusty bread as a lunch.
375ml uncooked pearl barley 45ml sherry vinegar 2,5ml dijon mustard 2,5ml salt 30ml olive oil 50g blue cheese, crumbled 50 – 100g baby spinach half a red onion, sliced 80ml pecan nuts
Cook the pearl barley according to the packet instructions – usually it is 1:3 (pearl barley : water). Allow to cool completely. Add the vinegar, mustard, salt and olive oil to a cup and whisk everything together. Set aside. Add the cooked and cooled pearl barley, baby spinach, blue cheese and red onion to a large bowl and mix together. Drizzle the dressing over the salad and give it another quick mix. Spoon the salad into a serving bowl and sprinkle with the pecan nuts before serving.
450g sweet peppers/bell peppers 30ml + 15ml olive oil 30ml white wine vinegar 1 clove of garlic, minced 12 basil leaves, chopped 2 sprigs of thyme 5ml sugar 2,5ml salt 45ml pine nuts, toasted 125ml crumbed feta cheese 125ml olives, pitted
Turn your oven on the grill setting and line a baking sheet with aluminium foil. Drizzle the 15ml olive oil on the peppers and spread evenly over each pepper with your hands. Place the peppers on the lined baking sheet and grill for about 15 minutes, until their skins are black. DO NOT take the peppers out too soon….they can not be too blackened! Immediately place the charred peppers in a mixing bowl and cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap. Set aside until the peppers are cool enough to handle. Break open the peppers, remove the core and seeds and pull the skin from each. It is easiest to use your hands to scrape the seeds out and it is quite all right for the peppers to tear into strips! Add the peppers, oil, vinegar, garlic, basil, thyme, sugar and salt to a mixing bowl and refrigerate for one hour. Arrange the marinated peppers on a serving plate and top with pine nuts, feta and olives.
250g tenderstem broccoli, blanched 200g streaky bacon 1 large / 2 small avocado pear, pitted and peeled 60ml peanuts, toasted
Blue Cheese Dressing: 60ml sour cream 60ml mayonnaise 60ml milk 100g blue cheese, crumbled 15ml parsley, chopped 15ml lemon juice a pinch of salt
Preheat your oven to 200℃ and line a baking sheet with baking paper. Place the bacon on the baking sheet and bake in the oven until crispy. Arrange the blanched broccoli, bacon and sliced avocado on a serving platter.
For the dressing: Add all the ingredients to a jug and whisk together to amalgamate.
Drizzle the dressing on the salad and sprinkle the peanuts over before serving.
Quinoa is an ancient grain that is a complete protein and has a deliciously nutty flavour. This salad offers all the nutrients you need for a meal on its own or as a side dish to whatever else you are cooking.
45ml olive oil 30ml lemon juice
375ml quinoa, cooked according to the packet instructions 250ml tightly packed sun-dried tomatoes, chopped half a red onion, finely chopped 125ml feta cheese, crumbed 1 apple, chopped into small cubes a small bunch of chives or any other soft, fresh herbs, chopped
Whisk the olive oil and lemon juice together and set aside. Add all the other ingredients to a bowl and mix through. Drizzle the olive oil mixture over the salad and serve.
Build this salad as large or as an individual portion and keep the dressing in the refrigerator for the next day – it is delicious with anything fresh and crunchy!
mixed lettuce red cabbage, cut into chunks apple, sliced or cubed walnuts black sesame seeds
Dressing: 45ml mayonnaise 45ml Greek yoghurt 5ml lemon juice 2,5ml salt Whisk the ingredients together until emulsified. Spoon on to the salad before serving. The dressing can be kept refrigerated for 5 days.
Fresh soft cheese made from yoghurt is better known by its Middle-Eastern name, Labneh or in some cases by its Dutch name, Hangop Kaas. Whatever you choose to name it, this cheese makes a salad come to life and adds interest to cheese platters and a spread for cocktails.
1 litre Greek Yoghurt salt and pepper a handful of very finely chopped fresh herbs like basil, thyme, chives 2 bay leaves 2 sprigs rosemary 2 sprigs thyme 500ml olive oil
Scoop the yoghurt into a mixing bowl and leave it out on the counter in your kitchen for a few hours until it starts to form a whey layer. Rinse a muslin cloth in cold water and line the inside of a sieve with it, allowing the ends to hang over the sides. Hang/suspend the sieve in a mixing bowl so that the whey can drip into the bowl. Add a good pinch of salt and pepper to the yoghurt and stir through. Pour the yoghurt into the muslin-lined sieve and place the bowl in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours. Remove the bowl from the refrigerator, gather the ends of the muslin cloth and make a knot at the top. Push the handle of a wooden spoon underneath the knot and then place the spoon with each end resting on the side of the mixing bowl so that the muslin parcel hangs inside the bowl. Place the bowl back into the refrigerator for a minimum of 12 hours.
Now remove the yoghurt from the muslin cloth for the last time. Mix the yoghurt and soft, chopped herbs in a mixing bowl. Sterilise 2 glass jars and dry them. Scoop a tablespoon of the yoghurt cheese into your hand and roll it into a ball. Place the ball into the glass jar and keep going with the rest of the cheese. Slide the bay leaves and herb sprigs into the jars and fill them up with the olive oil. Marinate the cheese for 2 days before use. Store in the refrigerator.
My Whisk and I 