THE LAZY MAN'S TABBOULEH

May I stress that this is ‘lazy’ tabbouleh and therefore I am aware that the traditional Lebanese tabbouleh would be shaking its head in shame at my version! This is my take on my mother's delicious Lentil Salad. I love adding a teaspoon of ground sumac to it, but this is not necessary. I have tried this tabbouleh with olive oil and much prefer it with red wine vinegar. This vegetarian dish is perfect as a side or for a main meal accompanied with cooked chicken breast pieces, cooked quinoa or more lentils or legumes (such as chickpeas). 

INGREDIENTS

• 1 bunch of parsley, stalks removed, parsley washed & drained and roughly chopped
• 4 medium tomatoes (around 500g), roughly chopped
• 1 x 400g tin brown lentils, rinsed and drained 
• 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• the juice of 1 lemon
• 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
• Optional- 1 teaspoon ground sumac 

PREPARATION 

1. Combine all ingredients in a medium serving bowl. Toss well to combine and place in the fridge for at least 30 minutes before serving, so that the lemon can absorb into the parsley. 

Serves / 4 - 6 as a side / 4 as a main with chicken 

Total Preparation time / 15-20 minutes 

x Emily 

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 

SPRING PANZANELLA

On of the fifth day of salad I really needed something substantial. The sun was beating down relentlessly and I was more than a little cranky because of this - who knew that endless sunshine could make you irritable? So I decided some toasted bread would be needed in my salad. Panzanella is a salad traditionally made from bread and tomatoes and originates in Florence, Italy. The bread is meant to be stale, however you can toast your bread like I did if it is not quite at this stage. Onions, basil, olive oil and vinegar are also commonly found in this salad, however I opted for eschallots, parsley and celery. Having been filled to the brim with tomatoes I chose to omit them from my summer Panzanella, which I am sure the Italians would have frowned upon!

INGREDIENTS

Salad 

• a generous handful of any type of lettuce, rinsed & drained
• 1 x 400g can chickpeas, rinsed & drained
• 1 large celery stalk, rinsed & finely chopped
• 1/2 a medium eschallot, finely chopped
• 2 slices gluten & dairy free bread, torn into small pieces
• 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, finely chopped
• 1 garlic clove, finely chopped

Dressing 

• 1 garlic clove, finely chopped
• 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
• 1 heaped tablespoon dijon mustard 
• pinch of sea salt 

COOKING

1. Preheat fan-forced oven to 180 degrees celsius. Line a baking tray with baking paper. Combine torn bread, parsley & 1 garlic clove in a small bowl, tossing well to combine. Scatter bread on tray in a single layer, then bake in the oven for 8 minutes or until bread pieces are lightly toasted and golden in colour. Remove from oven. 

2. Meanwhile, prepare dressing by mixing together all ingredients. Place lettuce, chickpeas, celery and eschallots in a large serving bowl and add dressing, tossing well to combine. Only add bread pieces right before serving the salad, or the bread will go soggy. Serve immediately after adding bread. 

Serves / 2-3 as a main / 4 as a side 

Total Preparation time / 10 minutes 

Total Cooking time / 10 minutes 

x Emily 

SIMPLE HAM & ALFALFA SALAD

I’ve loved alfalfa sprouts since I can remember. Whilst some people think they taste like grass, I love their slightly crunchy texture and their little tendrils. I actually prefer alfalfa sprouts to lettuce, which I often find very boring and monotonous in salads. Alfalfa sprouts as a great source of folate, vitamin C & fibre. These little babies also contain vitamin K and E and are the only vegetable that continues to produce vitamins after they have been harvested! Try these sprouts in a salad, a stir-fry or in rice paper rolls.

This is the simplest salad I have made in a long time and was extremely fresh, quick to make and satisfying.

INGREDIENTS

• 100g alfalfa sprouts, washed & drained
• 75g cherry tomatoes, halved or 1 small tomato, roughly chopped
• 100g gluten-free 99% fat free ham, roughly chopped
• 1/2 a small ripe avocado, roughly chopped
• 1/2 a small red onion, finely chopped
• 1 tablespoon pine nuts
• 1 tablespoon sunflower seeds
• 1 tablespoon pepitas (pumpkin seeds)
• 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar 

PREPARATION 

1. Combine all ingredients, except for the vinegar, in a medium to large serving bowl. Drizzle red wine vinegar and a pinch of sea salt over the top and toss well to combine. Serve cold. 

Serves / 2 as a main or 4 as a side 

Total Preparation time / 10 minutes 

x Emily 

SUMMER FRUIT SALAD

Yes fruit salad is a form of salad. And on a sweltering hot night like last night, sometimes all I can stomach is some mighty good fresh fruit. Day 3 of the 7 days of salad was very busy for me, involving a beautiful but tiring day at the coast with my two gorgeous puppies and my equally, if not more, gorgeous niece. When I got home after 6pm the last time I wanted to do was to make a green salad, when my heart and stomach was screaming out for some refreshing fruit. Hence this very very simple salad was born, from the leftover fruit in my fridge. I added maple syrup instead of honey, because believe it or not, maple syrup has less sugar and is often less processed. 

INGREDIENTS

• 1/2 rockmelon, seeded & roughly chopped
• 8-10 lychees, peeled 
• 1/2 punnet blueberries, washed 
• 4 nectarines, 2 white & 2 orange, roughly chopped 
• 1 tablespoon maple syrup 

PREPARATION 

1. Place all fruit in a medium to large serving bowl, drizzle maple syrup over the top and toss well to combine. Serve cold. 

Serves / 4

Total Preparation time / 10 minutes 

x Emily