Sides & Salads

Salads & Sides

Seared Beef and Butternut Salad

 

Serves 4

Calories per serve 390

Prep time 35 mins Cook time 15 mins

GF DF

 

INGREDIENTS

• 1 (400g) butternut squash, peeled,  deseeded and cut into chunks

• 4 (200g) parsnips, peeled and cut into  chunks

• 1 large red onions, cut into wedges

• 2 garlic cloves, peeled

• 2 (400g) sirloin steaks 

• 20 sage leaves

• 120g bag rocket

• 2 teaspoons olive oil

• 20 hazelnuts

For the dressing

• 4 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

• 2 teaspoons dijon mustard

• 2 tablespoons honey

• 2 tablespoons olive oil

 

DIRECTIONS

  1. Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Put the squash, parsnips and onions in a large roasting tin, season well, then mix everything together. Add the garlic to the tin and bake for 40 mins or until the vegetables have softened and are browning at the edges. While the vegetables cook, remove the steak from the fridge and set aside at room temperature.
  2. Add the hazelnuts to a frying pan and heat until toasted. Heat 1 teaspoon of oil in a frying pan, then add the sage leaves and fry for 1-2 mins until crispy. Set the sage aside leaving the oil in the pan. Season the steak and cook for 2-3 mins each side for a rare steak (depending on the thickness) or to your liking. Transfer to another plate, then cover loosely with foil and leave to rest for a few mins.
  3. When the vegetables are cooked, remove them from the oven and fish out the garlic cloves. Using the back of a spoon or your hands, squeeze out the soft garlic pulp into a bowl, discarding the skins. Mash the garlic with a fork, then add the dressing ingredients to the bowl, season, and whisk to combine.
  4. Crumble in the sage leaves and add half the rocket. Drizzle over half the dressing and toss everything together. Tip any juices from the steak over the veg and thinly slice the steak. Add the rocket and season with black pepper. Serve the extra dressing on the side.

Chicken Pasta Salad

 

Makes 4

Calories: 440cal

Time to make: 20 mins

 

INGREDIENTS

• 120g dried penne pasta

•  1 cup prepared chicken (left over from roast)

•  115g baby spinach, stems removed

•  115g cherry tomatoes, halved

•  50g feta cheese, crumbled

•  35g slivered almonds, toasted

 

Dressing

•  1 orange (2 teaspoons zest 4, tablespoons juice)

•  1 lemon (1/2 teaspoon zest, 2 tablespoons juice)

•  2 tablespoons honey 

•  2 teaspoons dijon mustard

•  1/2 teaspoon sea salt

•  1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil (or olive oil)

•  Salt and pepper for seasoning

 

DIRECTIONS

  1. Cook pasta according to package instructions. Drain and rinse pasta with cool water.
  2. Place cooled pasta in a large bowl and add the spinach and cherry tomatoes.
  3. Warm up shredded left over chicken from Sunday’s roast dinner. Add to the salad and toss to combine.
  4. Lightly toast the almonds on a medium heat and sprinkle the almonds and crumbled feta cheese over the salad.

Dressing

  1. Add all ingredients except the oil to a blender and blend until ingredients are well combined.
  2. Slowly add the oil into the blender and pulse until combined.
  3. Toss the salad dressing into the pasta salad and enjoy.

Lamb and Tomato Salad

 

Serves 4

Calories per serve: 250cal

Time to make 25 mins prep 10mins cook

GF DF

 

INGREDIENTS

  • 400g lamb backstrap
  • Olive oil spray
  • 4 spring onions, thinly sliced diagonally
  • 2 cups fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves, roughly chopped
  • 200g grape or cherry tomatoes, halved lengthways
  • 1/2 cup pitted kalamata olives

Dressing

  • 2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 garlic clove, crushed
  • Juice of 1 lemon

 

DIRECTIONS

  1. Preheat a chargrill or heavy-based frying pan over medium-high heat. Spray lamb with oil. Season with salt and pepper. Cook lamb, turning occasionally, for 10 minutes (for medium) or until cooked to your liking. Set aside to rest for 10 minutes. 
  2. Combine spring onions, parsley, tomatoes and olives in a large bowl. 
  3. To make dressing: Combine oil, garlic, lemon juice, and salt and pepper in a screw-top jar. Shake well to combine. 
  4. Slice lamb and add to tomato mixture. Pour over dressing. Toss to combine. Serve with your choice of complex carbs.  Bread and hummus goes really well

Superfood Salad

Coming soon

Warm Potato and Onion Salad

 

Serves 4-6 serves

Calories per serve: 320cal for 4 serves, 215cal for 6 serves

Time to make 10 mins prep 25 mins cook

GF (DF) V (V+)

 

INGREDIENTS

  • 800g waxy potatoes, halved
  • 25g butter, chopped (non dairy spread)
  • 2 red onions, halved, thinly sliced
  • 2 teaspoons brown mustard seeds (or use wholegrain mustard)
  • 1 cinnamon stick
  • 1/4 cup white wine vinegar
  • 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon honey
  • 2 tablespoons thyme leaves

 

DIRECTIONS

  1. Cook chosen protein to your preferred way.
  2. Place potatoes in a large saucepan and cover with cold water. Bring to the boil over medium-high heat. Boil, uncovered, for 20 minutes or until just cooked when tested with a skewer. Drain. Cut in half and place in a large bowl. 
  3. Meanwhile, melt butter in a large, non-stick frying pan over medium-low heat. Add onion, mustard seeds and cinnamon. Cook, stirring, for 15 to 20 minutes or until onion is golden and caramelised. Whisk together vinegar, oil and honey in a bowl. Season with salt and pepper. 
  4. Add chosen protein, onion mixture and thyme to warm potatoes. Pour over dressing and toss potatoes to coat. Discard cinnamon before serving.
  5. Serve as a side or main dish

Coleslaw/Salad Mix

 

Serves 12 cups

Calories per serve 25cal

Time to make: 10mins

GF DF V V+ F

 

INGREDIENTS

• ½ small (600g) red cabbage, sliced

• 3-4 (350g) carrots, grated

 DIRECTIONS

  1. Prepare using your food processor (or slice/chop very finely). 
  2. Moisten a paper towel with water. Lay over the top of the carrots and cabbage to keep it fresher for longer.
  3. Store in an air tight container in the fridge.

Pickled Cucumber Salsa

 

Cals per serve: 5cal

Serves: 4

 

INGREDIENTS

  • 1 cucumber
  • 1 teaspoon coriander seeds
  • 2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
  • 1 teaspoon caster sugar

 

INSTRUCTIONS

  1. Slice cucumbers into very thin rounds or sticks. Place in a bowl. Crush coriander seeds between your fingers. Add to bowl with vinegar and sugar. Toss to combine. Cover. Set aside for 15 minutes. 
  2. Drain cucumber from pickling liquid. Serve as a side dish.

Green Salad

 

Portions: 2 (4 serves of salad per portion)

Calories per portion: 105cal

Time to make: 20 mins

 

INGREDIENTS

• 240g baby spinach or mixed greens

• 250g cherry tomatoes, halved

• 1 cucumber, peeled and sliced

• 1/4 red onion, sliced

• 1/4 cup parmesan cheese, freshly grated

 

Balsamic Vinaigrette Dressing

•  1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil (or plain oil)

•  3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

•  1 teaspoon dijon mustard

•  1 teaspoon honey

•  1 clove garlic, minced

•  Salt and pepper to season

 

DIRECTIONS

Dressing:

  1. Mix together the olive oil, balsamic vinegar, dijon mustard, honey and garlic in a small bowl, season with salt and pepper to taste. Split the dressing into two portions, store 1 portion in a jar or airtight container in the fridge for Wednesday dinner (can be stored for up to 1 week).

Salad: 

  1. In a large bowl, add together salad ingredients and toss to combine.Split the salad into two portions and place 1 portion in the fridge for Wednesday dinner.
  2. Drizzle 1 portion of the balsamic vinaigrette over 1 portion of salad and toss well. Serve immediately.

Roasted Capsicum Salad

Serves 6 as side

Calories 171 per serve

 

  • 4 large red capsicums, halved
  • 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
  • 40g (1/4 cup) Pitted Kalamata Olives, halved
  • 1/2 red onion, thinly sliced
  • 50g marinated feta, drained, crumbled
  • 1/2 cup small fresh basil leaves
  • 60ml (1/4 cup) extra virgin olive oil
  • 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

1 tablespoon capers, rinsed

 

  1. Preheat oven to 200°C. Place the capsicum, skin-side up, in a large baking dish and drizzle over the vegetable oil. Roast for 30 minutes or until charred and blistered. Transfer to a sealable plastic bag and set aside for 5 minutes (this helps lift the skin). Peel and discard the skin. Remove and discard the seeds. Cut the flesh into large pieces.
  2. 
Place in a serving dish. Top with olives, onion, feta and basil.
  3. 
Whisk together the olive oil, vinegar and capers in a small jug. Drizzle over the salad to serve.

Roast Pumpkin and Aubergine Salad

with tahini yoghurt dressing

Serves 4

Calories 334 per serve

 

  • 600g pumpkin, cut into 1/2-1cm thick wedges
  • 4 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 medium aubergine, cut into wedges
  • 1/2 clove garlic, crushed
  • 1 tsp cumin seeds
  • Salt and milled pepper
  • Large handful rocket leaves
  • 1/4 cup fresh mint leaves and or basil leaves
  • 3 tbsp health-seed mix
  • 1 tbsp pine nuts
  • 2 tbsp sweetened dried cranberries

Tahini and yoghurt dressing

  • 4 tbsp plain yoghurt
  • 2 tbsp tahini paste
  • 2 tbsp lime or lemon juice
  • 1 1/2 tsp honey

Salt and milled pepper

 

  1. Preheat the oven to 200ºC.
  2. In a roasting tray, toss pumpkin with 2 tablespoons olive oil and roast for 15 minutes. Toss the aubergine with olive oil, garlic and cumin seeds, then add to the roasted pumpkin. Roast for a further 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool to room temperature. Season with salt and milled pepper.
  3. To make the dressing, simply place all the ingredients into a small bowl and whisk well to emulsify. Season to taste.
  4. To serve, place the roasted vegetables onto 4 plates, scatter with rocket, mint and basil leaves, followed by the seeds, nuts and dried cranberries. Finally drizzle with the tahini yoghurt dressing.

Cook’s tip:
Dried cranberries are perfect for salads as they are more savoury than other dried fruits. For the health-seed mix, try using pumpkin and sunflower seeds.

Broccoli and chickpea Salad

Serves 4

Calories 321 per serve

 

  • 2 heads broccoli (cut into florets) or 10 stems of slender baby broccoli
  • 400g can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
  • 1 tsp cumin
  • 200g cottage cheese
  • 2 tbsp chopped coriander
  • 2 tbsp chopped parsley
  • 1/2 tsp chopped chilli (seeds removed)
  • Juice of 1 lemon
  • A splash of good olive oil

Salt and pepper

 

  1. Fill a medium-sized pot half way with water and add a pinch salt. Bring to boil, add broccoli and cook for a few minutes.
  2. Drain broccoli into colander and plunge into a bowl of ice water. This will stop the cooking process. Drain broccoli onto paper towels to get rid of excess water.
  3. Add to a large bowl with all the remaining ingredients and gently combine with clean hands.

Cook’s tip:

Eat this salad the day it is made. It is not designed to keep beyond that – it is best eaten fresh and with gusto. The success of this salad is also made possible by having the cottage cheese at room temperature when you fold it through the vegetables – it combines better and gives a creamier consistency. Even 15-20 minutes out of the fridge helps.

German Potato Salad (Kartoffelsalat)

Serves 4

Calories 247 per serve

 

750g Potatoes – Waxy salad potatoes

  • 1 large onion, diced
  • 6 pickled gherkins, sliced
  • 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
  • 1 tbsp liquid from the pickled gherkins
  • 1 tablespoon cold water
  • 2-3 tablespoons vegetable oil

salt and coarsely grounded pepper

 

  1. For best results boil the potatoes in their skins whole the day before you need the salad.
  2. Peel the cooked potatoes and slice them
  3. Put all other ingredients in a shaker, mix thoroughly
  4. Don’t use too much salt, you can always add more
  5. Pour the vinaigrette over the potatoes and mix carefully
  6. Wait at least 2 hours until you serve this tasty potato salad at room temperature.

 

You can modify this recipe to suit your taste. Ingredients that harmonise with this recipe are boiled eggs and diced ham.

To add more moisture to the salad, use 1/8 l plain broth instead of the tablespoon water for the vinaigrette.

Balsamic Roast Vegetables

Serves: 8

Calories: 284 per serve

 

  • 8kg Butternut pumpkin, peeled, deseeded, cut into 3cm pieces
  • 6 medium parsnips, peeled, quartered lengthways
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 2 bunches baby beetroot, peeled
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons white balsamic vinegar
  • 16 garlic cloves, unpeeled
  • 1 tablespoon shredded fresh sage

2 tablespoons dry-roasted hazelnuts, chopped

 

  1. Preheat oven to 200°C. Line 2 large baking trays with non-stick baking paper.
  2. Place the pumpkin and parsnip in a large bowl. Drizzle over the oil and vinegar. Toss to coat. Arrange on the lined baking trays. Cut the beetroot evenly into quarters. Add the beetroot to the bowl and toss to coat. Add to 1 of the lined baking trays. Sprinkle the garlic around the vegetables. Season with salt and pepper.
  3. 
Roast, turning once, for 1 hour or until tender. Transfer to a serving dish and sprinkle with the sage and hazelnut.

Courgette Salad

Serves: 4

Calories per serve: 165

 

  • 4 courgettes, (mixture of yellow and green)
  • 1–2 fresh red chillies
  • 1 lemon
  • extra virgin olive oil
  • ½ teaspoon mustard powder
  • sea salt

a few sprigs of fresh basil, leaves picked

 

  1. Using a speed peeler, peel the courgettes lengthways into long thin ribbons, then finely chop the chillies and add both to a bowl.
  2. In a small jug, add the juice of the lemon and top up with double the amount of extra virgin olive oil. Stir in the mustard powder and a pinch salt, then mix well and pour over the salad. Toss to coat, then scatter over the basil leaves and serve immediately.

Grilled Summer Salad – The BBQ is not only for meat!

Serves: 4

Calories: 98 per serve

 

1 aubergine

1 Tbsp salt

1 red and yellow capsicum

2 courgettes

250g green or yellow beans, stringed

1 punnet baby tomatoes, washed

6 flat mushrooms (or 10 baby mushrooms)

oil for basting

 

  1. Cut the aubergine into 0.5cm slices. Layer the slices in a colander with the salt and set aside for 30 minutes. This allows the bitter juices to run free. Rinse well under cold water and pat dry on absorbent paper.
  2. Cut the red and yellow capsicums into quarters. Cut the courgettes lengthwise into thick slices.
  3. Heat the BBQ until hot. Brush all the vegetables with oil and place on the BBQ and cook over a high heat to cook quickly. The vegetables will blacken, but in doing so become quite sweet.

Avocado, Pumpkin Quinoa Salad

Serves: 4-5

Calories: 360 calories per serve

 

Roast pumpkin

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

1 tablespoon runny honey

500g peeled pumpkin, cut into 2-3cm chunks

 

Quinoa salad

1 cup quinoa

1 1/2 cups chicken or vegetable stock

Flesh of 2 firm ripe avocadoes, sliced

1 punnet cherry tomatoes, halved

1 cup seedless grapes, halved

6-8 medjool dates, stone removed, chopped

Handful of baby rocket or spinach leaves

3/4 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley

 

  1. Preheat oven to 200°C.
  2. Line an oven tray with baking paper. Toss pumpkin with balsamic vinegar, olive oil and honey in prepared tray.
  3. Roast until slightly caramelised, 20-25 minutes
  4. Meanwhile, cook the quinoa. Combine quinoa and stock/water (with a pinch of salt) in a medium-size pot and bring to the boil. As soon as it boils, cover with a tight-fitting lid and reduce to lowest heat to cook for 15 minutes. Remove from heat and leave to steam, still covered, for 10 minutes
  5. Fluff up quinoa grains with a fork and toss with roast pumpkin and remaining quinoa salad ingredients. Season to taste with salt and pepper
  6. Mix all dressing ingredients together and toss with quinoa salad
  7. You can serve with chicken breast if you like.

Tomato Sauce

Makes 2 portions – 1 portion is for a 4 serve meal
Calories per portion 155cal
Prep time: 5 minutes Cook time: 40 minutes

INGREDIENTS

  • 1 Tbsp Olive Oil
  • 1 Medium Onion, finely chopped
  • 1 tsp Crushed Garlic
  • 1 Medium Carrot Grated
  • 2 x 400g Cans Chopped Tomatoes
  • 2 Tbsp Fresh Basil chopped or 2 tsp dried Italian Herbs, Oregano, Sweet Basil

DIRECTIONS

  1. Heat oil in a heavy-based pan. Cook onion and garlic for a few minutes over a medium-heat. Add carrot. Cook for a few more minutes. Add remaining ingredients.
  2. Simmer sauce for about 30 minutes. Season to taste. Purée if you prefer a smooth creamy sauce.
  3. Divide evenly into 2 containers.

NOTE: Great recipe for the freezer.

Edamame Hummus

Serves: 16 (2 tablespoons)
Calories per serve: 72
Time to make: 5 mins

INGREDIENTS

  • 2 cups shelled edamame, frozen (thawed)
  • 1/3 cup water
  • 3 tablespoons rice vinegar
  • 2 tablespoons tahini (sesame seed paste)
  • 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • 1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt (plus more to taste)
  • ground black pepper (to taste)

DIRECTIONS

  1. In a food processor combine the edamame, water, rice vinegar, tahini, olive oil, garlic, and ½ teaspoon kosher salt, and process until smooth. Season with black pepper and additional salt to taste.