You can add mozzarella cheese to this recipe if you wish, for a classic Italian tricolore salad.
ingredients
1 large shallot or
2 smaller ones, peeled and finely chopped
2 tsp balsamic vinegar
3 medium tomatoes, sliced
1 ripe avocado
olive oil
salt & black pepper
Put the finely chopped shallot in a small bowl or container, such as an egg cup, with the balsamic vinegar while you prepare the salad.
Arrange the sliced tomatoes on one side of a plate. Cut the avocado into halves and remove the stone; cut through the flesh to the skin but not through the skin itself. Starting at the pointed end, peel the skin away with your fingers; if the avocado is ripe enough, this should be easy. Arrange the avocado slices on the other half of the plate.
Carefully, using a teaspoon, arrange the chopped shallot in a fine line between the two halves, leaving any excess vinegar behind. Drizzle olive oil over the salad, grind some black pepper over everything and put a little salt on the tomatoes. Serve immediately.
Warm Asparagus & Courgette Salad
(serves 1) Asparagus is high in glutathione, which helps your liver to function effectively, while courgettes are a good source of potassium, betacarotene and vitamin C.
ingredients
6-10 hazelnuts
250g (8oz) bunch of asparagus
1 large handful of salad leaves
½ large courgette
salt & black pepper
For the Dressing:
½ tsp Dijon mustard
½ tsp clear honey
juice of ½ small lemon
1 tsp olive oil
Chop the hazelnuts and then dry-roast them in a non-stick pan; when they start to smell toasted, remove the pan from the heat.
Fill a large pan with water and put it on to boil. Trim the woody ends from the asparagus and then discard them (they can go toward vegetable stock if you wish). Cut the remaining stems halfway along and put the thicker, lower halves into the boiling water for 3 minutes. Now add the rest of the asparagus to the pan of boiling water and cook for 2 minutes.
Make the dressing:
Whisk the mustard, honey, lemon juice and olive oil together until smooth. Arrange the salad leaves on a plate.
Meanwhile, make long strips of courgette with a potato peeler; discard any which are entirely peel and also get rid of the rather seedy core. Add the strips to the asparagus and cook for a further minute.
Drain and allow to cool briefly until the asparagus can be handled, and then arrange both the asparagus pieces and the courgette strips on top of the salad leaves. Whisk the dressing once more and drizzle it over everything, season with salt and black pepper and scatter the hazelnuts on top. Serve immediately.
Detox 'Colesaw' With Seeds
(serves 2) You might well decide to make a larger batch of this delicious salad and save some for later, but do not add the seeds until you are ready to serve it.
ingredients
75g (3oz) white cabbage, finely shredded
2 carrots, grated
½ yellow pepper, seeded & finely chopped
1 small red onion, finely chopped
6 black olives, chopped
1 tsp pumpkin seeds
1 tsp sunflower seeds
For the dressing:
1 tbsp apple juice
1 tsp olive oil
½ tsp Dijon mustard
1 tsp lemon juice
salt & black pepper
Put the cabbage, carrots, yellow pepper, onions and olives in a large bowl.
Put all the dressing ingredients in a jar, make sure the lid is firmly fastened, and shake well. Taste and adjust the seasoning, then pour over the vegetables and stir well.
Dry-roast the pumpkin and sunflower seeds in a dry frying pan, stirring them so that they don't catch too much. Remove the pan from the heat when they begin to colour.
Put the coleslaw on a serving plate and scatter the seeds on top. Serve immediately.
Lentil & Roast Pepper Salad
(serves 1) If you are eating cheese on your detox, crumble some goat's cheese or feta over the top of this delicious salad.
ingredients
1 large red pepper, halved & seeded
a little olive oil
60g (2oz) green lentils, eg. Le Puy, rinsed well
½ small red onion, chopped
salad leaves
flat-leaved parsley, to garnish
For the dressing:
2 tsp balsamic vinegar
(or lemon juice)
1 tsp olive oil
¼ tsp Dijon mustard
salt & pepper
Preheat the oven to 200°C. Rub the outside of each pepper half with olive oil and put them, cut side down, in an over-proof dish. Roast them in the over for 15-20 minutes until the skins begin to blister and darken. Set aside until just cool enough to handle.
Meanwhile, put the lentils into a pan of boiling water and cook until soft; how long this takes will depend on their age, but it should be approximately the same time as the peppers- about 20 minutes.
Make the dressing:
Whisk the balsamic vinegar (or lemon juice), olive oil and mustard together. Add a pinch of salt and pepper to taste, and whisk again.
Drain the lentils and put them in a large bowl; pour most of the dressing over them while they are warm, add the onion and stir thoroughly.
Gently remove the skin from the peppers, easing it away with a knife if necessary, and cut the flesh into strips. Add to the lentils with the red onion, mixing them in gently. Arrange the salad leaves on a plate, drizzle the remaining dressing over them and put the lentils and peppers in the middle. Garnish with flat-leaved parsley and serve.
Bean Salad With Herbs & Wild Leaves
(serves 1) This makes a very filling dish for lunch on days when you are starving. The beans and chickpeas are a great source of protein, fibre and minerals.
ingredients
20g (2/3 oz) dried haricot beans
20g (2/3 oz) dried black-eye beans
40g (1½ oz) dried chickpeas
1 small red onion, chopped
6 olives, chopped
6 cherry tomatoes, chopped
salad leaves eg. rocket, corriander & flat-leaved parsley
a handful of small dandelion leaves
salt & pepper
For the dressing:
1 tbsp lemon juice
2 tsp olive oil
black pepper
½ tsp wholegrain mustard
½ tsp clear honey
Soak the haricots, black-eye beans and chickpeas overnight, keeping the haricots separate. Drain and rinse all of them, and put the haricots into a small pan with fresh water. Bring to the boil, then simmer gently. When they are beginning to soften, add the chickpeas and continue cooking until tender.
Put the black-eye beans in another pan, cover with fresh water and boil for 10 minutes, then reduce the heat and simmer until tender.
Make the dressing:
Mix the lemon juice, olive oil, black pepper, mustard and honey in a jar, close tightly and then shake well.
Drain the cooked beans and rinse with fresh water. Put all the beans in a bowl and add half the dressing. Then add the chopped onions, olives and tomatoes, and mix well. Check the seasoning.
Mix the salad leaves and dandelion greens in another bowl and pour the other half of the dressing over them. Toss and then arrange on a plate, leaving a gap in the middle for the beans. After the beans have been added, serve.
Kiwi, Avocado & Spring Onion Salad
You might think that this sounds like an add combination, but you will be converted when you try it. Kiwis are one of the best fruit sources of vitamin C.
ingredients
1 kiwi fruit
3 spring onions
1 ripe avocado
salad leaves
For the dressing:
a squeeze of lime juice
1 tsp olive oil
a dab of honey (about ½ teaspoon, or to taste)
salt & pepper
Peel the kiwi fruit, cut it into slices and then cut each slice into four. Finely chop the spring onions, and put them, with the kiwi, into a bowl.
Make The Dressing:
Put the lime juice, olive oil and honey in a screw-top jar with lots of freshly ground black pepper. Seal the jar and shake it well, then taste, adding a little salt if wished. Pour over the kiwi and spring onions and leave for 30 minutes for the flavours to develop.
Cut the avocado in half and remove the stone, peel and then chop the flesh into chunks. Add these to the bowl containing the kiwi and spring onions, and stir very gently to coat the pieces in the dressing.
Arrange the salad leaves on a plate and arrange the kiwi, spring onion and avocado in the middle. Serve.
Tomato, Onion & Herb Salad
Prepare this in advance and leave to allow the flavours to combine. Tomatoes sold on the vine often taste best.
ingredients Tomato, Onion & Herb Salad:
1 red onion, peeled & halved
3 medium tomatoes, seeded & chopped
1 tbsp olive oil
a large handful of coriander leaves
a large handful of flat-leaved parsley
salt & pepper
Rinse the red onion in cold water, then soak for 10 minutes and chop coarsely- you need slightly less onion than tomatoes. Mix the chopped onion with the tomatoes in a large bowl, add the olive oil and a good grinding of black pepper, and stir well.
Then cover the bowl with glad-wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
Strip the leaves from the stems of the coriander and flat-leaved parsley, chop them roughly and add to the onion and tomato mixture. Stir well and add a little more olive oil if you like. Check the seasoning and serve.
