Hot summer days….

Summer is finally upon us!  For me that spells one thing, salads, salads,salads!  Out with the winter woollies, the hot chocolate and marshmallows and all your comfort foods like guiness pie and curries!  In with fresh, vibrant salads!

Now the thing to remember and what keeps me so enthusiastic about having a salad, is that lettuce, tomato, cucumber and onion does not mean “salad” that spells nothing more than B-O-R-I-N-G!  Let me share a few ideas with you.

Firstly I love a baby spinach, strawberry and pine nut salad with avocado and drizzled lightly with balsamic vinegar.  The sexy flavours of the strawberries mixed with the textures of the pine nuts and blue cheese has you thoroughly enjoying this meal!  Served with fresh mini Italian rolls, or seed loaf  simply a match made in heaven!

Another one of my absolute musts is my chicken berry salad.

Ingredients:
500g skinless, boneless chicken breast halves – grilled and cut into bite size pieces
honey mustard salad dressing mix
1/4 cup cider vinegar
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 tablespoons orange juice
8 cups chopped assorted lettuce greens
1 cup sliced fresh strawberries
1/2 cup fresh blueberries
1/2 cup fresh raspberries
1 package sugar snap peas
1/2 cup toasted pecans

Preparation:
1. In a medium bowl, prepare the dressing according to package directions, using vinegar and oil and substituting orange juice for the water; set aside. 2. In a large bowl combine the chicken, lettuce greens, strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, peas and pecans. Add prepared dressing and toss to coat; serve.

Now this weekend, I’m going to be experimenting with tuna burgers!  So be sure to watch this space

Happy cooking!