4 Yummy Salads

Summer is the time for fruit and salads! so here are some of my favorite salads- they're a little indulgent since I used them to bring to christmas gatherings but if you want to you can remove the nuts/oil for a lower calorie option. They're yummy and filling (unlike munching on celery/lettuce) and will please veggies and omnivores alike, even those who think they don't like lentils- I'm serious, I took them along to two holiday gatherings and was asked for the recipes both times! And the best bit is- they're really quick and easy to make!!

Carrot Salad

Serves 8
6 medium grated/shredded carrots
1 cup pine nuts/slithered almonds
handful of parsley
juice of 1/2 lemon
s&p
1tbsp olive oil
(marinated feta is a great addition for the non vegans)

• grate carrots (food processor or v slicer are the best)
• toast nuts- (careful they keep cooking after you take them off the heat)
• mix together
• add parsley, lemon juice, oil, s&p and stir!

Lentil/Bean Salad

Serves 8
2 tbsp tomato paste
1 cup water
1 can brown lentils
1 can chickpeas
1 can small white beans
Juice of 1/2 lemon
1 tbsp olive oil
sea salt
1/2 tsp chili powder
2 tsp gram marsarla
1/2 tsp cumin powder
1 1/2 tsp coriander powder
8 cloves
8 cardamon pods (use seeds only)
handful of parsley

• Grind spices in mortar and pestle (or electric spice grinder)
• heat oil in pan- then add spice mix- fry off till fragrant
• add tomato paste & fry off (maybe 2 mins?)
• add water and let it reduce to sauce consistency
• season to taste
• Drain and rinse beans/lentils
• pour sauce over lentils/beans & stir
• squeeze lemon juice over and sprinkle with parsley

Bean & Sun dried tomato Salad

Serves 1 as a meal or 2 as a side dish
3/4 bowl of mixed lettuce
1/2 clove garlic
1/2 spring onion
6 marinated sun dried tomato halves
1 can white beans
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
handful of chopped almonds

• rinse, chop and spin lettuce
• mince garlic & onion, sprinkle over lettuce
• roughly chop tomatoes & add
• drain and rinse beans- add
• sprinkle over balsamic vinegar & toss
• sprinkle chopped almonds over the top

Pasta Salad

Serves 8
500g Packet of Spiral Pasta
20 or so sun dried tomatoes with marinating oil (enough to coat pasta)
1 shredded/grated carrot
Juice of 1/2 lemon
s&p
oregano

• cook pasta
• drain and rinse under cold water- transfer to serving bowl
• grate/shed 1 carrot, mix through pasta
• roughly chop tomatoes & add along with some marinating oil (2 tbsp approx)
• squeeze over lemon
• season to taste- sprinkle with fresh oregano

Sorry for the long gap- my laptop died. I didn't realise how attached I was to it until it was gone!! It was my stereo, dvd player, tv, work station, entertainment and link to the blogging world! and boy do I miss it- unfortunately we can't afford to fix it (quote was alost 1/2 cost of a new laptop!) so I dusted off my computer parts and got hubby to reassemble my old old computer- thank heavens we didn't throw it away! I'm very happy to be back and even though the internet has been shaped to archaic speeds I'm so thankful for it!! All in all it was a nice lesson in perspective for me.
Hope you're all having a wonderful new year and appreciate all the little things in life xxx