Tantalise your tastebuds this season with these scrumptious salads. From rice, fish and bean salad to steak-and-pear salad, and even a salad with boerewors patties (yes, you read that right), these delightful dishes are bursting with flavour and colour!
Raw vegetable and quinoa salad with spicy peanut sauce
Serves 4 // Cooking time 20 minutes
Ingredients
For the spicy peanut sauce
½ cup peanuts
2 garlic cloves, diced
1 Tbsp coconut sugar
1 cup hot water
½ Tbsp gluten-free soy sauce
½ Tbsp lime juice
¼ tsp red pepper flakes
For the quinoa salad
100g greens beans, trimmed and halved
⅔ cup shredded red cabbage
½ red pepper, julienned
2 carrots, julienned
½ cup quinoa, rinsed and cooked
4 poached eggs
Method
For the spicy peanut sauce
- In a food processor, blend together the peanuts, garlic and coconut sugar until just combined.
- Add water, soy sauce, lime juice and red pepper flakes. Blend until the sauce is smooth. If it is too thick, add more water until the desired consistency is obtained.
For the quinoa salad
- Steam the vegetables for 3–5 minutes, until just tender.
- Toss together the quinoa and vegetables. Top with a poached egg and spicy peanut sauce.
Recipe & styling: Amerae Vercueil
Photography: Andreas Eiselen // HMimages.co.za
Rice, fish and bean salad with home-made croutons
Serves 4 // Cooking time 1 hour 15 minutes
Ingredients
2 frozen hake medallions, thawed
1 tbsp flour
⅓ government loaf, crust removed
½ cup speckled beans, cooked
2 carrots, chopped
½ cup frozen peas and corn, cooked
2 cups spinach, thinly sliced
1 cup cooked rice
⅓ cup salad dressing (optional)
Method
- Heat some oil in a non-stick pan. Season the hake with salt and pepper and dust with the flour.
- Add the fish to the pan, skin side down. Fry for 4 minutes. Flip and fry for another 2–3 minutes. Remove from the pan, cool, flake and set aside.
- Cut the bread into 1 cm croutons. Heat some more oil in a pan over medium heat. Fry the croutons in batches. Drain on paper towel and season with salt and pepper.
- Toss the fish, beans, carrots, peas and corn, spinach and rice in a salad bowl. Top with the croutons and serve with your favourite salad dressing.
Recipe & styling: Elizabeth Mackenzie
Photography: Sean Dollery // HMimages.co.za
Sticky chicken and melon salad
Serves 4 // Cooking time 20 minutes
Ingredients
For the sticky chicken
½ cup chutney
2 tbsp tomato sauce
2 tbsp brown sugar
1 tbsp soy sauce
2 tsp curry powder
½ tsp garlic powder
1 red chilli, finely chopped
4 chicken breasts, cut into strips
For the melon salad
3½ cups lettuce leaves
½ cucumber, half sliced, half ribboned
¼ cup chopped dill
1 cup chopped melon (we made melon balls)
¼ red onion, thinly sliced
Method
For the sticky chicken
- Preheat oven to 200°C. Line a roasting tray with foil.
- Combine all the ingredients, except the chicken, together.
- Season the chicken with salt and pepper and lay out on the prepared tray. Pour over ¾ of the sauce and toss to coat.
- Bake for 10–12 minutes, until cooked through, turning and basting with the remaining sauce halfway through.
For the melon salad
- Toss the ingredients together and serve alongside the chicken.
Recipes & styling: Kate Turner
Photography: Samantha Pinto // HMimages.co.za
Traditional garden salad with boerewors patties
Serves 4 // Cooking time 30 minutes
Ingredients
For the boerewors patties
500g boerewors, casings remove
1 green pepper, chopped
1 egg
2 Tbsp breadcrumb
2 tsp garlic powder
For the salad
1 bag mixed salad leaves
2 tomatoes, sliced
1 cucumber, chopped
4 wheels feta, crumbled
2 slices wholewheat bread
¼ cup olive oil
1 Tbsp vinegar
1 tsp honey
Method
For the boerewors patties
- Preheat oven to 180°C and ready a baking tray.
- Add all the ingredients to a bowl and season. Mix with your hands until fully combined.
- Form the mixture into 5 cm balls and then flatten into patties.
- Heat some oil in a pan over high heat. Sear the patties for 5 minutes on each side.
- Arrange on the baking tray and transfer to the oven. Bake for 10 minutes, until cooked through.
For the garden salad
- Make a salad with the mixed salad leaves, tomatoes, cucumber and feta.
- Toast the bread slices in a hot, dry pan until crispy. Add them to the salad once cooled.
- Whisk together the remaining ingredients to make a dressing and drizzle over the salad just before serving. Arrange the boerewors patties on top.
Recipe & styling: Amerae Vercueil
Photography: Samantha Pinto // HMimages.co.za
Steak-and-pear salad with home-made mint dressing
Serves 4 // Cooking time 20 minutes
Ingredients
For the steak
500g steak
2 Tbsp olive oil
For the dressing
2 Tbsp red-wine vinegar
2 Tbsp chopped mint
⅓ cup olive oil
Salt and pepper
For the pear salad
1 cup watercress
2 cups rocket
2 radishes, thinly sliced
1 pear, cored and thinly sliced
1 wheel feta, crumbled
¼ cup pumpkin seeds, toasted
Method
For the steak
- Heat a griddle pan over high heat. Drizzle the steaks with olive oil and season generously.
- Grill for 2–3 minutes a side, then remove from the heat and rest before slicing into thin strips.
For the dressing
- Whisk all ingredients in a bowl and season to taste.
For the pear salad
- Toss the watercress, rocket, radishes and pear slices together in a bowl.
- Top the salad with feta, toasted pumpkin seeds and slices of steak.
- Drizzle the dressing over the salad.
Recipe & styling: Kate Turner
Photography: Andreas Eiselen // HMimages.co.za
