Salad inspiration

We are being battered by strong storms at the moment and have unfortunately yesterday lost our favourite old hawthorn tree in our garden.  It's devastating because it was really old and such a feature as well as home to many birds and little creatures.  With the persistent rain we've been having, the ground is just saturated and wasn't strong enough anymore to hold on to the tree. :-(

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Needless to say that this weather isn't exactly inspiring summer recipes but nonetheless I'd like to share an idea for a salad - not so much a recipe but more of an inspiration to try something a bit different.

I combined quinoa, soya beans, avocado, beetroot, feta cheese and pumpkin seeds for a yummy, filling and healthy salad for lunch.  The different textures and tastes worked together really well and didn't even need a dressing (although a drizzle of olive oil would also have been nice).

I often tend to make the same old salads, so this made a very nice change and has given me a few new ideas.  I hope it has inspired you too!

Marinated steak salad

Yay - it's almost the weekend!  Another wet one here, I'm afraid, but that hasn't deterred me from really, really wanting a salad for my dinner.  Not just any old salad though but one that I like to call a "boys' salad": a marinated steak salad with feta cheese and sweet potato (I seem to have a bit of a thing for the latter at the moment).

What I love about this is that the meat is marinated after cooking and hence retains lots of the yummy flavours of the marinade.  This is a great little dish for friends or a quick and easy dinner when time is short.  Oh, and it is absolutely delicious :-)

Quick marinated vegetable salad

It's Monday and the start to another sunny week!  I've been busy packing up my bits and pieces in the kitchen again as after a break of 2 weeks our builders will be back tomorrow to finish off the job.  I can't wait to have it all done, even if it means being banished from "my" space for a few days.  I shall use the time to make some progress in the garden.

The forecast is great for the next few days with heaps of sunshine and high temperatures.  It's just the right weather for gardening and also for this marinated veg salad with quinoa I made the other day.  So refreshing and light - just the perfect lunch or side dish for dinner. 

I love how cheerful this looks...and even more how cheerful I looked after eating it :-)

Boys' salad

I woke up early today and couldn't wait to get up.  Some mornings are just like that, aren't they?  It makes for a good start to the day.  The dog was very excited to see me so early (but then, he is always excited) -  we snuggled up together, drinking coffee (me) and planning the day ahead (possibly both of us).  Those early hours of the morning are my favourite time of the day - it's peaceful and quiet with just the birds singing outside.  Beautiful! 

It didn't take long for my thoughts to steer towards food.  Earlier in the week I had already bought the ingredients for a salad recipe I came across whilst we were away.  Now, to be honest, the thought of chowing my way through a plate of limp lettuce and cucumber is not exactly my idea of a great meal but luckily this recipe is far, far removed from that.  Think roasted squash, spicy chorizo, yummy beans,...delicious!

I call it a boys' salad - it's big and satisfying, full of flavours and textures and would even fill up the hungriest of males.  I made it for my lunch today and LOVED it - it certainly didn't leave me feeling hungry and really delivered on taste :-)  If you prefer to make it vegetarian simply leave out the chorizo - it'll still be lovely.  Luckily, I made enough to have another portion later in the week and as an added bonus I roasted a further batch of just squash at the same time which made good use of the already hot oven. 




I can now honestly say that I just had a salad for lunch :-)