SWEET SUMMER SLAW VERMICELLI

The name and adaptation of this recipe comes from one of Yotam Ottolenghi’s amazing vegetarian creations. Yotam likes to make this ‘slaw’ as he calls it, with caramelised macadamia nuts and lots of papaya, green cabbage, mint and coriander. Not being a fan of caramelising ingredients due to the high quantity of butter and sugar used, I decided to opt for a relatively small amount of peanuts and raw shallots. You could serve this salad naked, or with vermicelli noodles like myself to make it more filling. Definitely a summer salad for the hot steamy Brisbane weather! 

INGREDIENTS

Dressing

• the juice of 2 small limes 
• 1 large garlic clove, finely chopped
• 1/4 teaspoon dried chilli flakes
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon maple syrup
• 2 tablespoons sesame seeds
• 2 tablespoons water 

Salad

• 150g rice vermicelli noodles
• 1/2 a red cabbage, washed & finely shredded
• 2 large carrots (around 300g), finely grated
• 1 medium mango (around 100g), diced 
• 2 spring onions, finely chopped
• 2 tablespoons fresh basil / coriander, torn 
• 1/4 cup roasted unsalted peanuts
• Optional- 1 ripe avocado, diced 

METHOD 

1. To make the dressing, whisk all the ingredients in a small bowl. 

2. Fill a large heatproof bowl with boiling hot water and place the raw vermicelli in it. Leave to sit for 5 minutes, then drain well with cold water. Place the cooked vermicelli in a large serving bowl and toss the red cabbage, carrot, mango, spring onion, basil, peanuts, dressing and avocado, if using, in the bowl. Serve cold. 

Serves / 4

Total Preparation time / 15 minutes 

Total Cooking time / max 10 minutes 

x Emily 

POWER PACKED SWEET POTATO SALAD

This isn't so much of a salad as a kind of boiled, washed and toasted mixup of sweet potato, baby spinach, avocado, sunflower seeds, pepitas, coconut and nuts. However, if I made that the title of this meal I'm sure you wouldn't still be reading! This is my new favourite lunch to make; it fills me up, gets my daily vegetable intake soaring and gives me ample amounts of energy to tackle the rest of my day. I love it so much I've made it several times in the past two weeks, even though its been as humid as hell in my non a/c kitchen. What I especially love about this meal is that you can substitute any ingredients that you have on hand. One day I toasted chopped walnuts instead of pine nuts, another day I used fresh chives and basil in the place of parsley. And not being an avid measurer in the kitchen, I love the fact that I can place 'a handful' of most of the ingredients into this salad and have the dish still taste delicious! 

Ingredients

Salad

• 200g sweet potato, weighed after being peeled & cut into small, even pieces
• a handful of pepitas (pumpkin seeds)
• a handful of sunflower seeds
• a handful of almonds/walnuts, roughly chopped
• a handful of roughly shredded coconut 
• a handful of pine nuts 
• large handful of baby spinach
• 3 tablespoons of fresh parsley/chives/basil, finely chopped

Avocado paste/dressing

• 1/2 a large or 1 small avocado
• juice of 1 lime
• 1 garlic clove, finely chopped/crushed
• salt & pepper
• water

Cooking 

1. Place the sweet potato in a small to medium saucepan with enough water to cover the potato. Bring to a boil, then simmer over low heat for 6 -7 minutes or until the potato is tender but not mushy. Remove from heat and drain in cold water. 

2. Whilst the potato is cooking, place the pepitas, sunflower seeds, nuts and coconut in a small to medium frypan over low heat. Stir often, toasting the ingredients until fragrant and/or until the coconut pieces begin to brown. Turn off the heat and leave to sit for a little longer on the stove, as the ingredients will continue to toast. 

3. Make the avocado dressing by combining all the ingredients in a small bowl. Mash the avocado until smooth and add a splash of water at a time to get the dressing to your desired consistency. (I like my dressing to be like a paste; you may prefer yours runnier). 

4. Combine the cooked sweet potato, toasted nuts, baby spinach and herbs in a medium serving bowl. Add the avocado paste/dressing and extra salt & pepper if desired. Serve warm. 

Serves / 1 

Total Preparation time / 10 minutes 

Total Cooking time / 15 minutes 

x Emily