FRESH

salads that are simple and healthy.

Lemony roast

COURGETTE & CHICKPEA SALAD.

This is a great quick-fix, and if you’re anything like me then you almost always have a can of chickpeas gathering dust in the pantry. Gathering dust not because they’re unloved, but because there’s always something fresher with a shorter shelf life that demands to be cooked and eaten as a matter of great urgency, of course. Whatever the case, this is a very hearty accompaniment to (and I’m not ashamed to say it) a ready-roasted store-bought chicken or flash-fried chicken breasts. Although, that said, it more than holds its own as a delicious ‘Meat-free Monday’ warrior too.

WHAT YOU’LL NEED

WHAT TO DO

  1. Preheat the oven’s grill. Place the courgettes on a baking tray, drizzle over the olive oil, season with salt and pepper and toss gently until well coated.
  2. Grill the courgettes for 15 minutes or until just slightly charred and cooked through, turning halfway.
  3. Place the cooked courgettes in a serving bowl and add the chickpeas, lemon zest, lemon juice, herbs, chilli, cheese and micro rocket. Drizzle with a little olive oil, gently mix and check for seasoning before serving as soon as possible.

SERVES 2 | PREPARATION TIME 10 minutes | COOKING TIME 15 minutes

herbed barley, roasted asparagus &

GOAT’S CHEESE SALAD.

This is hands down one of my favourite salads. More than that, it’s probably one of my favourite meals. It’s famously budget-friendly and low in GL. The nutty crunchiness of simple roasted asparagus, goat’s cheese and a generous scattering of fresh herbs never disappoints.

WHAT YOU’LL NEED

WHAT TO DO

  1. Rinse the barley in a sieve under running water, then cook according to the packet instructions, drain and tip into a serving bowl.
  2. Meanwhile, preheat the oven’s grill. Chop 2 cm off the woody end of each asparagus spear (this removes the naturally bitter and woody section) and roughly chop the remaining pieces. Place the asparagus pieces in an ovenproof roasting dish, toss with 1⁄2 Tbsp olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Grill for 8–10 minutes or until just slightly charred and cooked through.
  3. To the barley in the serving bowl, add the asparagus, goat’s cheese and herbs. Gently toss, and then mix in the balsamic vinegar or lemon juice and remaining olive oil. Check for seasoning and serve.

SERVES 2 | PREPARATION TIME 10 minutes | COOKING TIME 25–30 minutes

NOTE: Barley keeps well in the fridge, so I often make double the amount and store half of the cooked and undressed barley in an airtight container for up to 5 days.

QUINOA & BABY PEA SALAD.

I’m sure you’ve heard by now that quinoa, like barley, is a power food. Staggeringly low in GL and high in protein, it is a miracle worker and all-round magic maker. What you might not know is that it’s one of the ultimate kitchen quick-fixes, fluffy in just 15 minutes and a very agreeable blank canvas for almost anything you can throw at it.

WHAT YOU’LL NEED

  • 1 cup quinoa
  • 11⁄2 cups cool water
  • 1 cup frozen baby peas
  • 75 g goat’s cheese or feta, roughly crumbled
  • 1 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley or basil
  • 2 Tbsp pine nuts, toasted until golden (optional)
  • 1 Tbsp lemon juice
  • 1 Tbsp olive oil
  • salt and freshly ground black pepper

WHAT TO DO

  1. Using a fine-meshed sieve, thoroughly rinse the quinoa under cool running water. Place the quinoa and water in a medium-sized saucepan over a high heat. Bring the water to the boil, put on the lid, turn down the heat to a gentle simmer and cook for 10–15 minutes. Remove from the heat and leave to rest with the lid on. This steaming further dries out the quinoa, ensuring a fluffy result.
  2. While the quinoa rests, blanch the peas in a small saucepan of boiling water for 2 minutes, then drain and add to a serving bowl along with the quinoa.
  3. Add the cheese, herbs and pine nuts, toss well, drizzle over the lemon juice and olive oil, and season with salt and pepper.

SERVES 2 | PREPARATION TIME 10 minutes | COOKING TIME 15 minutes

NOTE: I usually serve this with something light like grilled trout, but you could also add some roasted butternut or beetroot, or even fried chorizo, for an all-in-one meal that’s packed full of flavour.

BABY SPINACH, PEA & CHORIZO SALAD

with mustard dressing.

This salad is quick-quick and oh so pretty. I love the punchiness of the colours, the smoky-spiciness of the chorizo and the burst of freshness from the greens. Serve as a meal in itself, over couscous or pasta, or inside warm crispy pitas. You can also add in some crumbled feta, goat’s cheese or even ricotta.

WHAT YOU’LL NEED

  • 75 g chorizo sausage, roughly sliced and quartered
  • 1⁄2 red chilli, deseeded and roughly chopped (optional)
  • 1 cup frozen peas
  • 50 g baby spinach
  • salt and freshly ground black pepper

Mustard dressing

  • 1⁄2 tsp Dijon mustard
  • 1 Tbsp olive oil
  • 1 Tbsp lemon juice
  • 1 tsp lemon zest
  • 1 tsp honey or 1⁄4 tsp sugar
  • pinch of salt

WHAT TO DO

  1. Heat a heavy-based frying pan over medium-high heat and fry the chorizo for about 4 minutes until light golden. Add the chilli and fry for another minute. Remove the chorizo from the pan with a slotted spoon and set aside on a plate lined with paper towel.
  2. Half-fill a medium-sized saucepan with hot water and bring to the boil. When boiling, add the peas and cook for 2 minutes. Remove from the heat, drain and add the spinach leaves so that they just wilt a little. Add the peas and spinach to a serving bowl along with the chorizo.
  3. Whisk the ingredients for the mustard dressing in a small bowl, then pour over the salad and gently toss to coat. Season with salt and pepper and serve immediately.

SERVES 2 | PREPARATION TIME 10 minutes | COOKING TIME 5 minutes

ROASTED BUTTERNUT, SWEET POTATO & GORGONZOLA SALAD

with peanut brittle.

This recipe is a version of one from my (gorgeous, vivacious, dazzling) friend Jess. She would never in a zillion years call herself a domestic goddess of any sort, but she happens to have quite an impressive recipe repertoire. Jess usually opts for all butternut and store-bought peanut brittle (which you can do too of course), though I like the taste of smugness you get when you crunch into your own homemade caramelised nuttiness.

WHAT YOU’LL NEED

  • 350 g butternut, peeled and cubed
  • 350 g sweet potato, peeled and cubed
  • 1 Tbsp olive oil, plus extra for drizzling
  • 1 Tbsp honey
  • 1⁄2 tsp ground cinnamon
  • generous pinch each of salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • handful (about 30 g) fresh rocket or baby
  • spinach leaves, rinsed
  • 150 g Gorgonzola (or any soft cheese), roughly crumbled
  • 1 Tbsp balsamic vinegar

Peanut brittle

  • 100 g castor sugar
  • 85 g salted peanuts

WHAT TO DO

  1. Preheat the oven to 200 °C.
  2. Microwave the butternut and sweet potato in an ovenproof dish on high for about 10 minutes or until they can be easily pierced with a knife. Alternatively, boil or roast until soft.
  3. Gently toss the butternut and sweet potato with the olive oil, honey, cinnamon, salt and pepper.
  4. Bake in the oven for about 15 minutes, then turn on the oven’s grill and grill for a further 5–10 minutes until golden. Remove and set aside to cool.
  5. While the vegetables are cooking, make the peanut brittle. Heat a heavy-based frying pan over medium-high heat and melt the castor sugar, stirring as little as possible. Once all the sugar has melted (about 5 minutes), remove the pan from the heat. Scatter the peanuts over a 20 × 20 cm sheet of baking paper and lightly oil a spatula head. Pour the melted sugar over the nuts and scrape out any remaining syrup with the oiled spatula. Press down gently on the brittle with the spatula to flatten and even it out slightly. Leave to cool before breaking up into rough chunks.
  6. To serve, place the rinsed rocket or baby spinach leaves on a serving platter, then layer over the butternut, sweet potato, peanut brittle and Gorgonzola. Drizzle over some extra olive oil and the balsamic vinegar just before serving.

SERVES 4 | PREPARATION TIME 10 minutes | COOKING TIME 35 minutes

NOTE: Add diced crispy fried bacon or chorizo for a ‘meatier’ version.

GRILLED PEACH & GOAT’S CHEESE SALAD.

Ah, the bounty of summer. There are few things more exquisite in their simplicity than ripe and sublimely scented plump peaches. Here, they really shine through as the heroine of the dish, which is just how it should be. As with so many of these salads, you can add in golden roast chicken slices for a veritable feast. Also, this works just as well with ripe nectarines and feta.

WHAT YOU’LL NEED

  • 3 ripe peaches, stoned and sliced into rough wedges
  • 1 tsp light brown sugar
  • 2 Tbsp roughly chopped pecan or pine nuts
  • 50 g mixed salad leaves (I like to use baby spinach, rocket and watercress)
  • 60 g goat’s cheese, roughly broken
  • 1 Tbsp olive oil
  • 1 Tbsp red wine vinegar or lemon juice
  • salt and freshly ground black pepper

WHAT TO DO

  1. Preheat the oven’s grill.
  2. Place the peach wedges cut-side up in an ovenproof dish, sprinkle over the brown sugar and grill for about 5 minutes or until golden.
  3. In a small saucepan on the stovetop, toast the nuts over medium-high heat until just light golden, stirring from time to time.
  4. Meanwhile, rinse the salad leaves, shake off the excess water and place in a serving bowl or on a platter.
  5. Remove the peaches from the oven and gently layer them over the salad leaves. Top with the goat’s cheese and toasted nuts, drizzle over the olive oil and red wine vinegar or lemon juice, season to taste and serve as soon as possible.

SERVES 4 | PREPARATION TIME 10 minutes | COOKING TIME 5 minutes

SUMMERY PANZANELLA SALAD.

What could be more classically summery than something that comes from under sunny Italian skies? For me, this salad epitomises what is so special about Mediterranean cooking in so many ways. It is profoundly simple and outrageously beautiful. I’ve added a super-lekker summery BBQ twist for you by including char-grilled tomatoes and ciabatta. One other thing, I used home-grown basil that tasted all the better for having been picked just moments before from its lofty heights on Rob’s well-loved roof-top garden.

WHAT YOU’LL NEED

  • 2 large ripe tomatoes, sliced into 1 cm slices
  • 4 slices ciabatta
  • 2 Tbsp olive oil
  • 1 clove garlic
  • about 12 Rosa or cherry tomatoes
  • small handful fresh basil (I use green and purple)
  • 1⁄4 cup capers
  • 1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
  • 1⁄2 tsp deseeded and chopped fresh chilli
  • salt and freshly ground black pepper

WHAT TO DO

  1. Preheat an oven or barbecue’s grill. Brush the tomatoes and ciabatta slices on both sides with 1 Tbsp olive oil. Grill until just slightly charred, turning halfway. This should take about 2 minutes per side for the tomatoes and 3–4 minutes per side for the ciabatta if the barbecue is at a medium-high heat.
  2. Rub the char-grilled ciabatta slices on both sides with the clove of garlic. Roughly chop the cooked tomatoes, ciabatta slices, and Rosa or cherry tomatoes. Toss with the basil and capers in a serving bowl.
  3. Drizzle over the lemon juice and remaining olive oil, sprinkle over the chilli and season generously with salt and pepper. Eat immediately.

SERVES 4 | PREPARATION TIME 10 minutes | COOKING TIME 6–8 minutes

ROASTED BUTTERNUT & LENTIL SALAD.

Before you think I’m going all hippy on you, and you hear the word ‘lentils’ and run five miles, just hold on a second. Rob (an all-round good guy and faithful braai boet who loves his vleis just like the rest of them) loved this. In fact, he wolfed it down and looked around for more. So, for that reason if none other, give it a bash.

WHAT YOU’LL NEED

  • 1 medium butternut (about 750 g), peeled, halved and deseeded
  • 1–2 Tbsp olive oil
  • 1⁄2 tsp ground cumin
  • 1⁄2 tsp ground coriander
  • 1 × 400 g can lentils in water, drained
  • 1⁄2 red onion, chopped
  • 1 Tbsp each of chopped fresh mint and coriander
  • salt and freshly ground black pepper

Dressing

  • 1 Tbsp olive oil
  • 2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
  • squeeze of fresh lemon juice
  • 1–2 tsp honey
  • 1 tsp Dijon mustard some chopped fresh chilli (optional)

WHAT TO DO

  1. Preheat the oven to 200 °C.
  2. Microwave the butternut on high for 9–10 minutes until cooked through and easily pierced with a knife. Alternatively, boil in a pot of water until soft.
  3. Place the butternut halves on a baking tray. Drizzle over the olive oil and coat with the spices. Roast on the middle shelf of the oven for 15 minutes, then under the grill for 3–4 minutes.
  4. Cut the butternut flesh into rough chunks and add to a serving bowl with the lentils and red onion. Stir in the mint and coriander. Season well with salt and pepper.
  5. Mix the dressing ingredients, check for seasoning and pour over the vegetables.

SERVES 2 | PREPARATION TIME 10 minutes | COOKING TIME 30 minutes (mostly unattended)

GRILLED RAINBOW TROUT

with herbed sweet potato salad.

I like to think of this as a kind of updated Salad Niçoise, sans tuna, cucumber, olives, tomatoes, lettuce … Well at least it has eggs! Anyway, don’t let its make-up stop you from having it as an honoured guest at your table very soon.

WHAT YOU’LL NEED

  • 1 large sweet potato (about 300 g), unpeeled but washed and cubed
  • 12 asparagus spears
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 trout fillet (about 300 g)
  • 1 Tbsp honey
  • 11⁄2 tsp olive oil
  • 2 Tbsp freshly squeezed lime or lemon juice
  • 1⁄4 cup mayonnaise
  • 1 Tbsp chopped fresh dill
  • 2 handfuls mixed salad leaves

Lemon–Dijon dressing

  • 1 tsp Dijon mustard
  • 2 Tbsp olive oil
  • 2 Tbsp lemon juice
  • salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

WHAT TO DO

  1. Preheat the oven’s grill.
  2. On the stovetop, cook the sweet potato in a medium-sized saucepan of salted boiling water until easily pierced with a knife. For the last 2–3 minutes, add the asparagus. Drain and set aside to cool. In another small saucepan, boil the eggs, peel and quarter.
  3. Meanwhile, place the trout in an ovenproof dish, coat with the honey, olive oil and lime or lemon juice and cook for 8–10 minutes or until golden and the flesh easily flakes with a fork.
  4. Mix the sweet potato with the mayonnaise and dill. Arrange the salad leaves on a serving platter and spoon the sweet potato, flaked trout, asparagus and sliced boiled eggs on top.
  5. Mix the dressing ingredients until it emulsifies and drizzle over the salad. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

SERVES 2 | PREPARATION TIME 10 minutes | COOKING TIME 10 minutes

BEEF FILLET

& warm beetroot salad.

If you’re going to effortlessly throw a meal together, it’s always a bonus if it has both prettiness and punch, and belies the fact that the output exponentially exceeded the input. This far-from-fussy beef fillet and warm beetroot salad is the antithesis of high maintenance food and yet it’s also just a little elegant, perfect for entertaining. The key that unlocks the door to the real ooh la la is the horseradish.

WHAT YOU’LL NEED

  • 4 fresh whole beetroot
  • 1–2 Tbsp olive oil
  • 300 g beef fillet (cheaper cuts like rump or porterhouse will also work)
  • 1 clove garlic, crushed
  • 125 g (about 1⁄2 tub) fat-free smooth
  • cottage cheese
  • 1 heaped tsp horseradish
  • 1 tsp lemon juice
  • generous pinch each of salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • handful mixed salad leaves (I like baby spinach and rocket)
  • 1 × 120 g roll goat’s cheese or the equivalent of feta, crumbled

WHAT TO DO

  1. Remove the stems from the beetroot (using kitchen gloves to avoid staining your hands). Simmer the beetroot in a saucepan with enough water to cover them over medium-high heat for 20 minutes or until easily pierced with a knife. Drain and set aside to cool.
  2. When cooled, once again don your kitchen gloves and peel and quarter the beetroot. Set aside.
  3. Add the olive oil to a very hot frying pan and brown the fillet on both sides. Turn down the heat to medium and continue cooking. After 6–7 minutes (for medium), add the garlic and cook for a further 1–2 minutes. Don’t let the garlic burn. Remove the steak from the pan, set aside on a warm plate, cover with tinfoil or clingfilm and leave to rest.
  4. Mix the cottage cheese, horseradish and lemon juice in a mixing bowl, add the salt, pepper and still-warm beetroot, and gently toss to coat.
  5. Arrange the salad leaves on a platter. Slice the rested steak into strips on the diagonal and lay them over the salad leaves. Just before serving, gently spoon over the beetroot in its sauce and sprinkle over the goat’s cheese or feta.

SERVES 2 | PREPARATION TIME 10 minutes | COOKING TIME 30 minutes

NOTES: You may use precooked beetroot, although not the kind stored in vinegar. You could also cook the beetroot in advance and keep it in the fridge for 5–6 days – just heat for 1–2 minutes in the microwave before using. If the beetroot and cottage cheese mixture cools too much, the cheese can become too thick. In this case, microwave the mixture for 1–2 minutes on high before serving, and the heat will loosen it again.

HARISSA CHICKEN

& baby roasted vegetable salad.

This is really just a very quick and simple chicken and roasted veg salad, and yet it’s so much more than that, and for very little effort too. The smoky, spicy North African–flavoured harissa paste is a great way of flavouring dishes, and a trick that I keep up my sleeve for whenever the need arises. Again, the variations here are endless. Serve the chicken over herbed couscous for a much quicker end result (with an extra teaspoon of harissa paste mixed through the boiling water or stock when cooking the couscous), in pita breads or with spiced chickpeas.

WHAT YOU’LL NEED

  • 2 cups mixed baby vegetables, halved (I like to use baby butternut, gem squash and patty pans)
  • 1 Tbsp olive oil
  • 1 large or 2 small chicken breasts
  • 2 heaped tsp harissa paste
  • handful fresh mint leaves
  • squeeze of fresh lemon juice

WHAT TO DO

  1. Preheat the oven’s grill.
  2. Microwave the vegetables on high for 5 minutes or until softened. Place in an ovenproof dish, brush lightly with the olive oil and grill for 8–10 minutes until golden.
  3. While the vegetables are roasting, coat the chicken in the harissa paste (I use a pastry brush) and fry over medium-high heat in a frying pan for about 4 minutes on each side, turning halfway, until cooked through. Remove from the heat, leave to rest for a couple of minutes and then slice on the diagonal.
  4. To serve, divide the chicken and roasted vegetables between two serving plates, top with a few fresh mint leaves and a squeeze of lemon juice, and eat immediately.

SERVES 2 | PREPARATION TIME 10 minutes | COOKING TIME 10 minutes