Simply start with a basketful of fresh salads and vegetables and you can create the summer salad bar. In your fridge. We love it. And it doesn’t have to be restricted to summer! It can be as simple or as complicated as you like. And it can be different every time you do it.
The idea is that you choose 6 or so of your faves to prepare and store in airtight containers (we like the stackable ones) in the fridge so that weeknight dinners become a breeze (just add a piece of grilled fish or open a can of tuna and chickpeas) and weekend lunches become a joy. You shake up a jar of your favourite salad dressing to serve alongside. Have you tried our red wine dijon vinaigrette? Recipe below, along with a quick video.
Here are some of our favourites, and we’d love to hear yours as well. The vegetables are served raw unless specifically indicated. It’s great to cut/slice/shred/shave/chop/dice things rather than cutting everything the same way. If you have a mandoline, great. If you have a fabulous food processor (we are addicted to the Breville Wizz Pro* which slices and shreds like a machine!), fantastic. If you have a really sharp knife, it will take you a bit longer!
- iceberg lettuce, cut into small wedges
- rocket leaves (arugula)
- radicchio, roughly chopped
- red cabbage, shredded and massaged (yes!) with lemon juice, olive oil and seasoned.
- flat leaf parsley, chopped
- red (Spanish) onion and/or shallots, sliced finely and steeped in red wine vinegar/olive oil
- fennel, shaved then dressed immediately with lemon juice, olive oil and sea salt flakes.
- radish, sliced paper thin
- beetroot (beet), finely sliced (paper thin) OR
- beetroot (beet), peeled, cut into 1/8s, drizzled with red wine vinegar, olive oil and salt, and roasted (no cover) in a moderate oven for 45 minutes or until tender, tossing from time to time
- cauliflower, cut into tiny florets
- brussels sprouts, peeled and finely shredded
- cherry tomatoes, quartered
- carrots, peeled and sliced lengthways, paper thin
And some other things to add to the table, things that are most probably always in the fridge or pantry:
- sourdough bread, sliced or crumbled, gently fried in olive oil until golden (it’s a great idea to tear up any leftover or stale bread and store in the freezer until needed)
- avocado, halved and drizzled with lemon juice and sea salt flakes
- grilled or pan fried salmon or snapper fillets
- poached chicken breasts
- canned tuna
- canned chickpeas
- steamed brown rice
- boiled eggs, quartered
- feta cheese, crumbled
- dry toasted (or olive oil roasted) walnuts or hazelnuts
- olives
- capers
Our favourite mustard vinaigrette dressing:
Ingredients
- ⅓ cup extra virgin olive oil (or hazelnut oil for a lovely change)
- ⅓ cup grape seed oil or extra virgin olive oil
- ⅓ cup best-quality red wine vinegar
- 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon sea salt or to taste
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper or to taste
Instructions
- Shake all ingredients together in a jar or squeezy bottle. Taste for salt and pepper. Store at room temperature.
*Slight disclaimer re Breville. At the end of 2012, my food processor (of many years!) broke. So sad! I was in a hurry for a replacement and I looked online and came across the Breville Wizz Pro. I loved the look of it (and it was on sale through Appliances Online) and it arrived 2 days later. Yes, I was VERY excited. I used it all summer and really fell in love, particularly with the slicing blade. No need for a mandoline at my place any more! So we raved and raved about it and ended up chatting to Breville about some other appliances in their range. Next thing we knew, we were doing a cooking demonstration for Breville for Mothers’ day (in conjunction with Appliances Online) to showcase a smaller machine called an ‘All-in-one’. We were SO thrilled when Breville kindly gave us each an ‘All-in-one’, and it is great little machine for someone who wants one appliance to do the job of a food processor, stick blender, potato masher etc etc. I use it now for small quantities of salad/veggie shredding as it has the same (but smaller) brilliant slicing blade as the Wizz Pro.
I have your 4 Monday morning cook books and love them all. Loved your French morning and loved the onion tart Thanks for keeping me inspired.
Thanks so much Wendy xx