WINTER COLESLAW
Serves 6-8
2 baby red cabbages
2 baby white cabbages
1 red apple
1 green apple
lemon juice
100g bean sprouts
Dressing
180ml mayonnaise
180ml buttermilk
30-40ml lemon juice
salt and pepper
Thinly slice the cabbages using a mandolin and place in a bowl. The apples can be very thinly sliced whole or cored and halved and sliced into thin wedges.
Sprinkle the apples with a little lemon juice to prevent discolouration.
Add the apples to the cabbages together with the bean sprouts.
Add the dressing and mix well.
Pile on to a serving platter or into a bowl.
DRESSING: Mix all the ingredients together and stir well.
FENNEL AND PEAR SALAD
Serves 4
2 fennel bulbs
½ English cucumber
6 radishes
2 pears,thinly sliced
3 spring onions, sliced
Dressing
60ml olive oil
20ml red wine vinegar
15ml Dijon mustard
15ml honey
salt and pepper
Thinly slice the fennel bulbs using a mandolin or a sharp knife.
Thinly slice the cucumber and the radishes.
Combine the fennel, cucumber, radishes and pears in a bowl and mix in the spring onions.
Pour over the dressing and spoon the salad into a serving bowl.
DRESSING: Combine the ingredients in a screw top jar and shake well immediately before pouring over the salad.
CORN, AVOCADO AND BILTONG SALAD
Serves 4
2 cobs of sweetcorn
1 packet lettuce
1 large avocado pear, sliced
100g cherry tomatoes, halved
125g sliced biltong
Balsamic dressing
80ml olive oil
45ml balsamic vinegar
5ml mustard powder
15ml honey
salt and ground black pepper
Blanch the sweet corn and remover the kernels from the cob with a sharp knife.
Put a layer of salad leaves on a serving platter or in a bowl.
Add the sweetcorn, avocado pear, tomatoes and biltong.
Drizzle with the dressing and serve.
DRESSING: Combine all the ingredients in a bottle and shake well.
BEETROOT AND CITRUS SALAD
Serves 4
6-8 cooked baby beetroot
30ml olive oil
30ml honey
1 punnet of micro salad leaves or herbs
2 oranges, peeled and segmented
1 grapefruit, peeled and segmented
125g haloumi cheese, sliced
Dressing
60ml freshly squeezed orange juice
30ml olive oil
5ml chopped garlic
5ml Dijon mustard
15ml honey
salt and pepper
Preheat the oven to 180°C.
Cut the beetroots in half and combine with olive oil and honey. Roast for 15 minutes.
Remove and cool slightly.
Place the salad leaves on a serving platter followed by the beetroot and citrus segments.
Brush the haloumi slices lightly with olive oil and cook on a griddle pan until a nice golden colour.
Add to the salad, pour over the dressing and serve.
DRESSING: Combine all the ingredients for the dressing and mix well.
SPINACH, CANNELLINI BEAN AND BACON SALAD
Serves 4-6
200g packet of baby spinach
4 slices of bacon, chopped
400g can of cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
5ml dried oreganum
salt and pepper
125ml prepared croutons
Dressing
60ml olive oil
45ml red wine vinegar
15ml honey
5ml wholegrain mustard
salt and pepper
Arrange the spinach on a platter.
In a pan, cook the bacon over moderate heat until crisp, about 4 minutes.
Add the beans, oreganum and season with salt and pepper. Toss until heated through.
Put over the spinach. Add the dressing , scatter with croutons and serve.
DRESSING: In the same pan, add the olive oil. Whisk in the rest of the ingredients.
Season and pour the warm dressing over the warm salad.
QUINOA WITH LEMON TAHINI DRESSING
Serves 4-6
250ml quinoa
5ml turmeric
5ml sumac (optional)
1 red pepper, finely diced
30ml parsley, finely chopped
3 spring onions, sliced
2 celery sticks, finely diced
1 carrot, peeled and coarsely grated
1 green chilli, deseeded and sliced
salt and pepper
60ml pomegranate rubies (optional)
Lemon tahini dressing
15ml sweet chilli sauce
5ml Dijon mustard
30ml olive oil
25ml tahini paste
5ml honey
15ml lemon juice
salt and pepper
For the salad, fill a pot with water and season with salt.
Bring the water to a boil and add the quinoa and turmeric.
Stir the quinoa regularly and ensure the water boils rapidly throughout the cooking process.
Cook the quinoa for bout 15-20 minutes until soft.
Drain through a sieve and refresh under cold water.
Mix the rest of the ingredients with the quinoa and add the dressing.
DRESSING: Combine all the ingredients for the dressing into a jug or blender and blend until smooth.
Taste and adjust the seasoning if needed.
Tips for winter salads
* Use seasonal ingredients like fennel, beetroot, butternut, cabbages, potatoes, and even cauliflower to make salads, they will be more economical than buying out of season ingredients like tomatoes.
* Baby spinach is a good substitute for lettuce in a winter salad
* Butternut and beetroots are equally good either cooked or raw in a salad
* Add apples and pears to give salads a nice crunch
* Oranges, grapefruits and pomeloes combine well with the creaminess of avocado pears in a salad
* Drop the feta cheese and use cheeses like haloumi, goats cheese and even blue cheese to keep your salad interesting
* Combine fresh or cooked ingredients with couscous, quinoa or even rice to make a filling salad
* Use chopped nuts and seeds for extra nutrition in winter. - The Star