Sandwich Alternatives: Rainbow Salad

My sister would make a great personal chef. One day I came downstairs, hungry for some tea, to find her chopping vegetables.

"What are you making?" I said. I had hoped we might have pasta.

"A salad," she said.

"Just... a salad?"

"It will be good, trust me."

Sarah has a special skill with food – I'm not exaggerating when I say everything she makes tastes amazing. And this salad was no exception. Maybe she can work her magic and make all food taste good and filling.

It's time to start believing in salads – I'm serious! They aren't as unsatisfying, plain and boring as we seem to think. And this one was easy to make - I watched Sarah do it so I know - anyone can do it.

The dressing adds a little kick and makes it taste ah-mazing. It's lime juice, olive oil, salt, sumac, black pepper and mint. For quantities etc, check out the original recipe on Smitten Kitchen - one of my absolute favourite blogs for recipes (smores pie, anyone?)

Having so many different types of vegetables, fruits and proteins in this big fat dish makes me want to eat it because I know it's good, even though it's not lasagne. All of the components in this salad scream good hair, skin and nails, which, as a woman, is an undeniable desire/need of mine.

You can put just about whatever you like in a rainbow salad, but I would encourage lots of your favourites – mine being avocado, beetroot, feta cheese, green beans, boiled eggs, pickled onions... everything in this salad. And maybe if you're feeling sad - I don't know - make the pasta to go on the side. No one has to know. I packed this for my lunch for the next few days and it was way better than sandwiches.

I have so many ideas for Sandwich Alternatives posts, and I'd love to know if you'd like to see more. I find them really useful on days/weeks when I'm feeling uninspired about lunch. I like to have something to look forward to when it's time for a break from work, and sandwiches are so boring (unless you have a New York Deli where you work). I'll be asking Sarah to assemble another rainbow salad soon, will you have a go at making one?

Sandwich Alternatives: Quinoa Salad

Usually, for lunch I have a packet of crisps, some cheese and a piece of fruit. So lazy, I know, but it's smack bang in the middle of the day and I find it gets in the way of whatever it is that I'm doing, and I just can't be bothered to make a sandwich. Plus, too much bread makes me bloat and gives me cramps.

However, now and again when I have a bit of time, I love to mix it up a bit and make a quinoa salad. It is super healthy, tasty and is great for those with gluten and wheat intolerances as quinoa is a complete protein and therefore easy to digest. It is packed with loads of super healthy things like iron and fibre; this is a super food you have to try. It is similar to cous cous and bulgur wheat, but I find the texture is much more pleasing, as it is cooked 'al dente'.

Recipe for Quinoa Salad

Ingredients:

• 1 cup of dried, uncooked quinoa
• 3 cups of vegetable stock made up - I used Bouillon
• Cherry tomatoes
• 2 spring onions
• Cucumber
• Feta cheese 
• Herbs of your choice - I used coriander
• Salt
• Pepper
• Squeeze of lemon juice
• 1 tbsp rapeseed oil 

N.B. Generally, the quantities can be increased or decreased according to taste, but to cook the quinoa correctly you must stick to the 1 cup of quinoa to 3 cups of stock quantities.  

1. Cook one cup of quinoa in the three cups of vegetable stock on a high heat for about 15 minutes.

2. Empty the cooked quinoa into a separate bowl. (If there is any excess liquid, drain it first).

3. Chop the herbs, cucumber, tomato and spring onion and put to one side.

4. In a separate small bowl, mix together the rapeseed oil and lemon juice. Season with salt and pepper.

5. Add the chopped salad and dressing into the cooked quinoa and stir well. Then, crumble as much or as little feta cheese into the mix as you like. Taste and season again if necessary.

6. Mmm. Zesty, flavoursome, healthy lunch.

What are your go to sandwich alternatives? If you want to make this you can add and take away any ingredients you like - it's easy and adaptable.

Homegrown Summer Bean & Herby Feta Salad

I'm not usually a salad lover. I like pasta, sandwiches, cake... But when my parents went away for two weeks and left Sarah and I to look after their vegetables in the garden we found ourselves picking the beans from my Dad's raised bed every day and Sarah came up with a seriously tasty summer green bean salad that I cannot get enough of. I couldn't wait to share it on here because it was that good and now I just want it to be bean season all year round!

There were three types of beans that we picked from my Dad's raised bed: green beans, broad beans (both pictured above) and sugar snap peas. The sugar snap peas are my favourite - sweet and crunchy and super yummy paired with the salty feta.

Pre-dinner drinks and nibbles. Sipsmith is like Pimms, but better. It's paler in colour - pinker, and it has a fresher, peachier flavour. Just tastes great, and the bottle is dead snazzy too. 

Sarah mixing up the cooked beans with some red onion and lettuce leaves.

Mmmm, just looking at that makes me want to make it again right now. That feta! My plate is looking a little empty and I'm not sure why?! Maybe I needed more salad ;) I definitely helped myself to seconds.

Recipe for Homegrown Summer Bean & Herby Feta Salad

Prep & cook time: about 10 minutes.

Ingredients:

• Sugar snap peas, washed and trimmed
• Broad beans, washed and podded
• Green beans, washed and trimmed
• Fresh parsley, washed and finely chopped
• Spring onion, finely sliced
• Chives, wash and finely chopped
• Green leaves of your choice 
• Juice of half a lemon
• Few tablespoons of rapeseed oil
• Salt & Pepper
• Feta cheese cut into small squares.
  

I haven't put specific amounts because it really is done by eye. Just go with however much you think you'll eat - if you don't finish it you can put it in the fridge for tomorrow's lunch. 

Method:

1. Cook the beans in a little water for a few minutes - just until they're cooked but still have a slight crunch.
2. Meanwhile, mix together the rapeseed oil, lemon juice and salt and pepper to taste. Add the chopped chives and parsley. Coat the feta cheese in the dressing.
3. Add the beans, lettuce, spring onion and herby feta to a salad bowl and toss together. Add the remainder of the dressing to the salad.
4. Eat and enjoy!

You can obviously chop and change whatever you want with this salad but I think the main components - the feta, beans and the dressing - work really well together. Thanks to Sarah for coming up with this great summer dish. It's a keeper.

Do you have any favourite summer salads? Let me know in the comment box below. I'd love to hear from you!