Sa Sa..... Salad

Spinach, avocado, strawberry and asparagus salad to be exact.

Doesn't this just shout summer? There are countless recipes for Spinach and Strawberry Salad with a poppyseed dressing but I've jazzed my salad up a bit with the addition of some asparagus and avocado. The creamy avocado and tender asparagus add a little textural something to the mix.



Spinach, Strawberry, Avocado and Asparagus Salad

Ingredients
1 bag of baby spinach leaves
1 punnet strawberries, sliced
1/2 a ripe avocado (or more if you want), chopped
1 bunch asparagus, blanched and sliced

Dressing
1/4 cup white sugar
1/2 cup oil
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1 tablespooon finely choppped red onion
1 tablespoon poppy seeds
1/4 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon worcestershire sauce

Method
Combine salad ingredients in a bowl
Combine dressing ingredients in a jar and shake to combine
Dress salad just before serving

I made the salad a couple of weekends ago when we had a few guests at home for a barbeque. One of my friends was in charge of dessert and she brought this fantastic looking Black Bottom Pie which is a Ruth Pretty Recipe. You can't tell from the picture but the pie has a chocolate custard on the bottom and a silky vanilla topping. YUM.

Salad Stravaganza - Roasted Vegetable Salad

This recipe is in support of fellow foodies, Lis and Kelly in their quest for thinner thighs and tasty salads. It’s not quite salad weather here so my offering is something that can be served at room temperature or slightly warmed. It’s my version of an extremely tasty salad from Café Cuba in Palmerston North.

Roasted Vegetable Salad

Ingredients
Pumpkin
Kumara (sweet potato)
Red, yellow or green pepper - your choice
Coriander (cilantro), chopped
Spring (green) onion, sliced
Feta cheese (reduced fat of course), diced
Seasonings as desired

Method
Peel and chop the pumpkin and kumara into chunks a bit bigger than bite sized
If using fresh pepper chop into largish pieces as they’ll shrink a bit
Season to taste with sea salt and cracked black pepper (I’m currently addicted to McCormick’s Monterey Steak seasoning) and roast the pumpkin, kumara and peppers in a hot oven until cooked
I use an oil “mister” so I pretty much dry roast my vegetables. If you are not trying to cut back on fat feel free to drizzle your veges with some lovely EVOO. Yes I know - I post ONE Rachael Ray recipe and I'm channelling her already - sorry
Place your cooked vegetables in a bowl
If using peppers in a jar, chop them up and add to your pumpkin and kumara mix
Add the spring onions and coriander
Toss through diced feta
In my opinion it doesn't need any dressing but hey - it's your salad, do what you want with it. A little balsamic vinegar might be a nice touch
This is particularly nice served warm with a dollop of tomato chutney on the side