Salads

The healthiest way to eat vegetables is raw, in salads and salsas. Adding a dressing makes them more interesting and is an easy way of consuming beneficial EFA oils.

Oil and Lemon Dressing

HED LFD OMSD BBD VEG VG (Serves 2)

1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1 tbsp lemon juice (or white wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar)

1 garlic clove, peeled and crushed

salt and black pepper

Use Oil and Lemon Dressing on the following salads:

•sliced fennel, grated carrot and chopped dessert apple;

•sliced tomatoes, chopped spring onions and a handful of chopped fresh basil;

•grated carrots, currants, chopped fresh parsley and ½ tsp ground cumin;

•sliced red pepper, celery and sliced cucumber (no need to peel the cucumber).

Green Salad

HED LFD OMSD BBD VEG VG

Use a mixture of salad leaves such as Cos, Little Gem, Webbs Wonderful, Chinese leaves, watercress, salad cress or baby spinach leaves. Tear leaves into small pieces and rinse well in a colander. You can add thinly sliced cucumber as well if desired.

Toss in Oil and Lemon Dressing (see above) just before serving.

Yogurt

Probiotic or ‘friendly’ bacteria, which are found in live ‘bio’ yogurt, improve intestinal health, promote good digestion, boost immunity and increase resistance to infection. Probiotics can also help conditions such as IBS and recurrent candida infections. Yogurt is a useful low-fat substitute for cream in dessert recipes and is an ideal basis for flavoured marinades for chicken or fish.

Yogurt Dressing

HED LFD OMSD VEG VG (Serves 2)

2 tbsp yogurt

1 tsp French mustard

salt and black pepper

Use Yogurt Dressing with these salads:

•quartered baby beets, chopped apple, sliced radishes and chopped chives;

•sliced celery, sliced cucumber, chopped apple and chopped walnuts;

•boiled new potatoes and chopped spring onions.

Coleslaw

HED LFD VEG VG (Serves 2)

Mix grated celeriac and carrots with shredded white cabbage and chopped spring onions. Add the juice of half a lemon and 1 crushed garlic clove to the Yogurt Dressing and mix everything together.

Salad Niçoise

HED LFD BBD OMSD (Serves 4)

This family favourite is an example of how a salad can be a main meal. For the OMSD, leave out the eggs.

450 g (1 lb) small new potatoes, scrubbed

2 Little Gem lettuces

4 hard-boiled eggs

2 x 185-g cans tuna chunks, drained

1 can anchovy fillets, drained

4 medium-sized tomatoes, quartered

½ cucumber, thinly sliced

1 small green pepper, deseeded and sliced

12 black olives, pitted

For the dressing

½ cup extra virgin olive oil

juice of 1 lemon

1 large garlic clove, peeled and crushed

1 dsp Dijon mustard

salt and black pepper

Cook potatoes in boiling water for 20 minutes and drain well. Rinse individual lettuce leaves in cold water and shake dry. Shell eggs and slice. Flake tuna and cut anchovies in half. Mix together ingredients for dressing. Put salad ingredients in a large bowl and pour dressing over.