three summer salads with feta





What's not to love about summer and alfresco dining... crisp fresh ingredients tossed together with crumbs of feta, dressed with fresh lemon and olive oil, served and enjoyed outdoors - this for me is summer on a plate.  These three ideas are all extremely simple to prepare and very pretty to eat.  As they all use a hint of feta, I wouldn't necessarily serve them together but rather mix and match them to different meals or BBQ's. 

 

I couldn't resist dressing the table with a few hand picked herbal blooms straight from the garden, a little bouquet of Lavender, Chamomile, and Pea shoots add a delicate touch to your table.

 

 

Roasted sweet potato, beetroot and feta salad

 

• Serves 2/4
• 2 large sweet potatoes, sliced or cubed
• 5 medium sized roasted beetroots
• 1/2 slab of feta
• lettuce leaves

Method:

 

1) Place sweet potatoes in a roasting dish, drizzle with olive oil and roast in a preheated oven of 180 degrees for 20 minutes or until crispy but still soft.  If your beetroots are fresh, cover each one with foil and place in the oven together with the sweet potatoes but leave in for at least an hour till soft, remove from foil and peel the skin off.  Alternatively use pre-packed already cooked beets.

 

2) Toss all together with crumbed feta, place on the lettuce leaves and drizzle with olive oil and little balsamic vinegar.

 

 

Courgette, mint, chilli and feta salad

• Serves 2/4
• 3 raw courgettes, peeled length ways with a peeler
• 1/2 medium heat red chilli, finely chopped
• 1/4 slab of feta, crumbed
• few sprigs of mint

Method:

 

1) Toss all together in a bowl and dress with olive oil and fresh lemon juice.  Note this is best when the courgettes have been marinated in the dressing for at least half an hour, they go all soft but still maintain a slight crunch.

Rosemary roasted butternut and feta salad

• Serves 2/4
• 1 butternut, peeled and sliced into chunks
• few sprigs of rosemary
• 1/2 slab of feta, crumbed
• 1 tsp chicken spice

Method:

 

1) Sprinkle the chicken spice over the butternut together with the sprigs of fresh rosemary, roast in preheated oven of 180 degrees for 20 mins.

 

2) Toss together with the feta and dress with olive oil.



sweet potatoes and cous cous

This is a simple yet rich tomatoey sweet potato and carrot stew which works very well with cous cous.  In fact I would serve everything with cous cous if I could, I'm just simply addicted to it.

A soft hint of cumin brings out the sweetness in the carrots and the potatoes making this an all round mid-week family favourite.

Maybe a little healthy for some but try it, it may surprise you.

 Serves 2

You'll need:

• 3 sweet potatoes, chopped (skin on for more roughage)
• 2 carrots, chopped
• 1 red onion
• 1 cup cous cous
• 1 cup boiling water
• 1 tin of chopped tomatoes
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• 1 Tbs olive oil

Method:

1) Saute the onion in olive oil till transparent.

2) Add the carrots, sweet potatoes, tomatoes and cumin and simmer for approx 20 - 30 mins.

3) Pour the boiling water over the cous cous and leave to stand for approx 10 mins, serve with the stew and enjoy.

 

warm chicken salad with sweet potato chips

This salad together with the sweet potato chips has become my new favourite meal.  I love serving it as a quick and casual lunch with friends.  I highly recommend it for it's simplicity and gorgeous flavours.

I'm sure Theo Paphitis from Dragons Den would agree that the return of taste & enjoyment you get out of this meal, far out ways the time and effort put into it. 

In order to appreciate the full range of flavours this salad has to offer, one needs to taste it, so do yourself a favour, try it - its worth it.

 

Warm Chicken Salad

Serves 4

You'll need:

• 4 chicken breasts, cut into strips
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 clove garlic, grated
• 2 teaspoons soy sauce
• juice of 1 lemon
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1 large chili (optional)
• 1 packet mixed salad leaves
• few cherry tomatoes, sliced
• 1 spring onion

For the salad dressing;

• 1 small red onion (or shallot), very finely chopped
• 1 tablespoon ketchup
• 1 tablespoon cider vinegar
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2cm fresh ginger, grated
• 1 teaspoon soy sauce

Method:

1) Marinate the chicken strips.  Put garlic, cumin, lemon juice, 1 Tbs olive oil, chili, 1 tsp soy sauce in a bowl with the chicken and leave to stand for a few minutes (the longer the better).

2) Gently fry the chicken in a pan.

3) Arrange the salad leaves in a bowl or platter, add the tomatoes, spring onions and place the cooked chicken on top.

4) For the salad dressing, add the ketchup, vinegar, 1 tsp soy sauce, 1 tsp olive oil, ginger, the finely chopped onion, mix well and pour over the salad.

 

Sweet potato chips

You'll need

• 6 sweet potatoes, sliced in strips with skin on
• 2 Tbs olive oil

Method:

1) Arrange potatoes on a baking tray and pour over the olive oil

2) Bake in preheated oven of 180 degrees for approx 30 minutes or until golden.

3) Season with salt and pepper and enjoy with the salad



sweet potato soup with coconut + chilli

What more do you need on a windy Autumn day than this delicious sweet potato soup with chilli, ginger & coconut cream, served with toasted pumpkin seed rye bread.  Would taste equally as sweet with a few roasted vine tomatoes on top!




Serves 2

You'll need:

• 1 onion
• 2-3 sweet potatoes (peeled and chopped)
• grated fresh ginger (about an inch)
• 1 clove of garlic, chopped
• chilli (optional or to taste)
• 3 Tbs coconut cream

Method: 

1) Saute onion till transparent. 

2) Grate the ginger and add with chopped garlic. 

3) Add the sweet potatoes, cover with boiling water and bring to boil. 

4) Simmer for approx 30 minutes or until soft. 

5) Add chilli and coconut cream. 

6) Season with salt and pepper and serve with a drizzle of olive oil and coconut cream.