ANTIPASTO SALAD with BUFFALO MOZZARELLA

Any week of the year I can hope to uncover one new food, spice, herb, condiment or way of cooking or preparing that I love. Today alone I discovered two; buffalo mozzarella and chia seeds. Being officially declared allergic to lactose/dairy a few days ago, I decided to get super serious about not having cow’s milk in anything I consume. Would you believe there is cow’s milk is almost every bread, every cracker, every piece of candy and several other foods that you would never dream milk went into. Food processing has lowered even further in my books. The whole point of my rambling is that I thought my days of soft camembert, indulgent bocconcini, creamy feta and smooth mozzarella were over. Or where they? A client told me about how she was going dairy-free for 2013 and had found buffalo mozzarella for a steal at $7 for 250g at Woolworths. And its even more delicious than she made it out to be.

Chia seeds have gotten an immense amount of limelight lately. I always wondered why until I stumbled across a great website- the Wellness Warrior- that listed 13 remarkable benefits of eating these super small seeds. All you need is 1 tablespoon of chia seeds a day, which you can sprinkle on breakfast cereals, salads, soups or any raw food, add to smoothies, include in bread/muffin recipes or mix with water and coconut water. Just a few fun facts about Chia Seeds:

·      They contain 2 x the potassium of a banana

·      They have 3 x more iron than a serving of spinach

·      They boost protein in the body by 20%

·      They contain 8 more Omega 3 than a serving of salmon

·      These little seeds are nourishment for your skin, hair and nails

·      They provide 5 x more calcium than a serving of milk

·      They have 7 x times more vitamin C than a serving of oranges

·      They are super duper high in antioxidants (4 x as high as blueberries)

All in 1 tablespoon! 

INGREDIENTS

• 4 large handfuls of mixed lettuce, washed & drained 
• 200 - 250g cherry tomatoes, washed & drained
• 200g of sliced beetroot
• 200g marinated artichokes
• 50g marinated buffalo mozzarella, torn into small pieces 
• 2 heaped tablespoons sunflower seeds
• 2 heaped tablespoon white chia seeds 

PREPARATION 

1. Place lettuce, cherry tomatoes, beetroot, artichokes and seeds in a large serving bowl and toss well to combine. Drizzle 1-2 tablespoons of the mozzarella marinade and 1-2 tablespoons of the artichoke marinade. Scatter torn mozzarella on top of salad and toss. 

Serves / 4 

Total Preparation time / 5 minutes max 

x Emily