Summer salad recipe (v, vg)

Jane has provided this great recipe idea for a vegetarian and vegan salad.

They say that we should all try and eat a plateful of colour to ensure we get a good mix of vitamins and minerals. This recipe certainly ticks the box, and can be adapted to whatever you have in at the time. You can taste the sunshine!

Serves 2 as a main course or 4 as a side dish.

1.5  handfuls of mixed leaves per person eg. watercress, baby spinach, rocket, lettuce, pea shoots

1 Spring onion

1 inch of cucumber per person

1 Avocado

4 or 5 cherry tomatoes per person

Handful of Blueberries per person

Handful of grapes per person

1 large Orange

Handful of nuts or seeds (optional)

1 hard boiled egg per person - quartered (omit if vegan)

Salt and pepper

Salad dressing (choose your favourite, and add a spoonful of soured cream to make it a richer flavour)

Fresh herbs to garnish

• Wash all ingredients and pat dry
• Shred or roughly chop salad leaves and place in serving bowl
• Discard outer layer of spring onion, slice the rest thinly. 
• Slice cucumber thinly and cut into thin strips  
• Cut cherry tomatoes in half. 
• Cut avocado in half, de-stone, cut flesh whilst still in outer skin and then scoop out 
• Add all salad ingredients to bowl, add a little salt and pepper to taste
• Add washed blueberries and grapes
• Cut the ‘top’ off the orange and then cut the peel away from top to bottom removing the pith so you are left with a skinned orange. Remove each segment by cutting closely to the segment skin towards the middle of the fruit. 
• Add each segment to the bowl and squeeze any remaining juice over salad. 
• Turn all ingredients in the bowl to ensure a good mix. 
• Add chopped nuts or seeds. 
• Add quartered egg if using. 
• Top with fresh herbs and salad dressing and serve. 

The only thing limiting this recipe is your imagination, you can add your favourite ingredients to personalise it for your own taste. Here’s a few suggestions:

Substitute melon for the blueberries

Add Parmesan shavings

Try marinated tofu

Crumble blue cheese over the top

Cooked or smoked salmon

Croutons

Crispy fried bacon

Cooked chicken/cold meat/salami

Celery or apple for extra crunch

Substitute sun-dried tomatoes for fresh ones

Add cooked and cooled pasta

Cook and cool new potatoes

Enjoy!