| Your Health | | | | | | |  | Recipes |
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| | My Favourite Salads | | | Salads have come a long way from the token leaves of limp lettuce and wedge of tomato on the side of a plate. With so many varieties of Summer leaves and garden vegetables available now, we’re really spoilt for choice. And far from being the side order they once were, salads are now a main meal in their own right – practically anything and everything goes into them.
There’s something for everyone here: whether you’re gluten intolerant, controlling your blood glucose levels, watching your weight or simply looking for a delicious refreshing easy-to-prepare summer dish.
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| | For Seafood Lovers | | | | Salmon and Avocado Salad (serves 3-4) | | | Salmon is a source of heart-healthy omega 3 fatty acids, while avocado contains monounsaturated fats which can help to lower levels of bad LDL cholesterol and improve levels of good HDL cholesterol.
200g tinned or fresh cooked salmon
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon reduced fat crème fraiche
A big handful of watercress, chopped
1 tablespoon of torn basil
1 ripe avocado, peeled, stoned and diced
Freshly ground black pepper
Flake the salmon. Mix all the ingredients together and season with black pepper to taste. Serve with your favourite green salad leaves.
| | | | Prawn salad (serves 2) | | | 250g peeled freshly boiled prawns
Juice and zest of 1 lemon
2 tablespoons reduced fat crème fraiche
1 tablespoon extra-light mayonnaise
1 teaspoon tomato ketchup
Dash of Tabasco (or to taste)
2 spring onions, finely chopped
1 stick celery, finely chopped
Half an iceberg lettuce, shredded
Teaspoon cayenne pepper
Combine the prawns with the lemon juice. In a separate bowl, combine the mayonnaise, crème fraiche, ketchup, Tabasco, lemon zest spring onions and celery. Add the prawns and mix.
Arrange the lettuce on two plates and arrange the prawn mixture on top. Dust with some cayenne pepper. To boost your fibre and antioxidant intake, serve with some thinly grated carrot, strips of red pepper and cucumber and some halved cherry tomatoes.
| | For Meat Lovers | | | Thai beef salad (serves 4 as a main course)
| 450g sirloin steak
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 garlic clove, crushed
1 inch piece fresh ginger, finely chopped
Juice of 1 lime
Bag of rocket leaves
Half a large cucumber, sliced into matchsticks
Small handful of mint leaves, chopped
Small handful of fresh basil, chopped
Small handful of fresh coriander, chopped
Dressing
2 red chillies, deseeded
2 tablespoons soya sauce
Juice of 1 lime
2 tsp brown sugar
1 stem lemongrass, finely sliced (optional)
Marinate the beef in the soy sauce, ginger, garlic and lime juice for at least 30 minutes. Cook the beef on a ridged grill pan to your liking (it’s best to have it medium-rare). Allow the beef to rest for 10 minutes, and then slice into thin strips.
Meanwhile make the dressing by combining all the ingredients together. Toss the rocket, herbs and cucumber together in a bowl and mix with some of the dressing. Arrange on a plate and top with the strips of beef, drizzling with the rest of the dressing.
* Note from Paula
Some brands of soya sauce contain wheat and are not suitable for Coeliacs. Look for a soya sauce that is wheat and gluten free.
| Chicken with cannellini beans (serves 4)
| 4 medium-sized chicken fillets, grilled
410g tin of cooked cannellini beans, drained
150g cherry tomatoes, halved
2 spring onions, thinly slices
1 tablespoon fresh mint, chopped
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons lemon juice
Freshly ground black pepper
Mix together the olive oil and lemon juice in a small jug. Season to taste with the black pepper. Assemble the beans, tomatoes, spring onions and mint in a bowl, and toss with the dressing. Slice each chicken fillet diagonally. Serve the salad on plates with a sliced chicken fillet on top.
| For those who love their Greens
| Pasta with feta, spinach and sundried tomato (serves 3-4)
| 160g pasta such as penne (uncooked weight)
3 tablespoons sundried tomatoes, roughly chopped
2 tablespoons of oil from the sun-dried tomatoes
Large handful baby spinach leaves, torn
200g feta cheese
Cook the pasta until tender and drain. Combine with the tomatoes, oil and feta and leave until cool. When the pasta has cooled, add the spinach and serve.
* Note: Coeliacs should use gluten-free pasta.
| Delicious Side Salads
| Broccoli, carrot and Mixed Seed Salad (serves 4)
| 4 carrots, peeled and coarsely grated
1 medium-sized head of broccoli
2 tablespoons of mixed seeds (poppy, pumpkin, sesame), roasted
Juice and grated zest of one orange
4 tablespoons reduced fat French dressing
Wash the broccoli and divide into small, similar-sized florets. Combine in a bowl with the carrot, orange juice and zest and dressing. Sprinkle with the mixed seeds.
Serve with 1oz of goat’s cheese per person.
| Potato and Mint Salad (serves 2)
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200g small new potatoes
1 tablespoon reduced fat crème fraiche
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
2-3 mint leaves, chopped
Boil the potatoes until tender, leaving the skins on. Drain and place in a bowl. When the potatoes are cool, mix them with the crème fraiche, mustard and mint.
Serve with some marinated chicken, salmon or fresh tuna and some tomatoes and crisp summer leaves as a main meal.
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