Salads

Carrot salad

Wash and grate 3 carrots. Mix in half a cup coconut, half a cup raisins and toss with a sprinkle of salt. (you can swap raisins for sunflower and pumpkin seeds).

Cauliflower and broccoli salad

Cut off florets, add together with cashew nuts dried red raisins or apricot pieces and still together with a little mayonnaise and season with salt.

Bean salad

1 tin drained mixed beans, chopped parsley or other preferred fresh herbs, sunflower and pumpkin seeds, spring onions, salt , pepper, 1/3 cup lemon juice and ¼ cup vegetable oil. Mix together the oil salt pepper and lemon juice until combined. Mix together other ingredients and pour over dressing just before eating.

Lentil salad

2 cups puy lentils or black beluga

½ cup olive oil

2 teaspoons Dijon mustard

Juice of 1 lemon

1 garlic clove grated

1 teaspoon salt, cracked pepper to taste

1 bunch parsley chopped

2 cups cherry tomatoes halved

½ cup pitted olives

Optional extras chopped mint or cucumber , crumbed feta

Fill a medium saucepan with salted water, bring to a boil and add the lentils. Simmer until the lentils are tender but not mushy. (approx. 20-30 minutes). Meanwhile make the dressing, whisk the olive oil, mustard, lemon juice, garlic, salt and pepper. Drain the lentils and mix them in the dressing while the lentils are still warm. Once cold toss with parley, tomatoes olives and the optional extras.

Coleslaw

¼ cabbage

1 carrot

½ cup crushed pineapple

1 spring onion

1 stalk celery

2 tablespoons desiccated coconut

½ cup mixed pumpkin and sunflower seeds

Shred cabbage finely, grate carrot slice thinly celery and spring onion Combine all ingredients

Roasted Vegetable and couscous salad

2 beetroot, parsnip, potato and carrot cut into 1cm chunks

800g cubed pumpkin

1 red onion sliced into 2cm wedges

120g combining spinach kale and rocket

2 cloves garlic minced

Maple syrup or honey

Moroccan spice blend

4 tablespoons Olive oil

¾ cup pearl couscous – needing 1 cup vegetable stock

3 teaspoons white wine vinegar or 1 tablespoon lemon juice

Bunch of cut Mint leaves

Toasted almond slivers

Place onion, beetroot, pumpkin, potato and carrot in the oven drizzle with oil, Moroccan spice and maple syrup, toss and bake for 25 minutes. To make dressing, mix in a bowl 1 clove garlic, olive oil, vinegar or lemon juice and mint leaves. Cook the couscous, brown it in oil for 2 minutes with 1 clove minced garlic. Add the water and vegetable stock and simmer, stirring occasionally until couscous is tender and liquid absorbed. Placed salad greens in a bowl add couscous and dressing, toss gently to combine. Top with roasted vegetables and almond slivers.

Roast vegetable salad (4 people)

2 carrots

4 potato

2 parsnip

2 beetroot

2 teaspoon honey for halloumi

120 g salad leaves

White wine vinegar – drizzle

15 crushed almonds

Olive oil

Mixed herbs or a spice rub

Creamy pesto dressing 100g

Optional: halloumi cut into 1cm thick slices, 1 red onion

Preheat the oven to 220deg C, cut carrots into rounds, potato and parsnip into bit sized chunks and beetroot into small chunks. Place vegetables (including red onion) on a greased oven tray, drizzle with oil and stir sprinkle with either mixed herbs or spice rub. Toss to coat, spread out evenly on tray and roast for 30 minutes. While the vegetables have 5 minutes left to cook fry the halloumi1-2 minutes each side., remove from pan and coat halloumi in honey.

In a large bowl place the salad greens, creamy pesto, roasted vegetables, drizzle with white wine vinegar and top with nuts, divide onto 4 plates. Place halloumi on top of each persons salad.