Salads & Fruit

The lip-smacking salinity of the halloumi is tempered here by the sweet carrot ribbons and lime-pepped dressing. This salad is quick to assemble and looks super-impressive thanks to the undulating ribbons of carrot. Don’t forget to add the sesame seeds, which bring toasty pops of flavor to each bite!

3 large carrots

1/4  onion, thinly sliced
handful of cilantro, finely chopped
2 tablespoons sesame seeds
4oz / 115g halloumi cheese, cut into 1/4  inch-thick slices
2 handfuls of baby spinach

Dressing
juice of 1/2 lime or lemon
1/2 teaspoon honey or granulated sugar
 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon olive oil
pinch of salt

(3½oz) cooked chicken breast, cut into strips
½ an avocado, sliced
6 cherry tomatoes, halved
4 spring onions, chopped
½ a Little Gem lettuce

1 serving watermelon slices
1 serving thin petals of parmesan cheese
drizzle fig balsalmic vinegar
Place thin petals of parmesan cheese over watermelon slices and drizzle with fig balsamic vinegar (available at most gourmet stores).
Servings will vary.

This is a dressing to make all 
manner of Asian-style salads 
sing with flavour.

Serves 2
7 calories
0.4g saturated fat

4 tbsp lime juice
2 tbsp fish sauce
1–2 hot red chillies, chopped
1 tbsp agave syrup
1 garlic clove, finely chopped or crushed, or 1 tsp garlic paste
1 tbsp rapeseed oil

1. Put all the ingredients into 
a bowl and mix together well.

In the colder months, take a break from your usual mashed potatoes or yams and try this sweet and savory treat. Wild rice has a deep flavor that has given it a gourmet reputation, in spite of the healthfulness of the grain. If you can find true hand-harvested wild rice from the Great Lakes region, you absolutely must splurge and show off your acquisition in this delicious salad.

3 tablespoon red-wine vinegar
1/2 tablespoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
4 cloves garlic, minced
salt, to taste
Freshly ground pepper, to taste
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 cup Kalamata olives, pitted and coarsely chopped
2 tablespoon chopped fresh flat or curly parsley
3 navel oranges
10 cups mixed lettuces, try using chicory, radicchio red/greenleaf lettuce, torn into bite-size pieces
1 head Belgian endive, sliced
1 bulb fennel, trimmed and sliced
To prepare vinaigrette: Whisk vinegar, lemon juice, mustard, garlic, salt and pepper in a small bowl. Slowly whisk in oil. Stir in olives and parsley.
To prepare salad: Using a sharp knife, remove peel and white pith from oranges. Quarter the oranges; slice pieces crosswise. Just before serving, combine lettuces, endive, fennel and the orange slices in a large bowl. Drizzle the vinaigrette over the salad and toss to coat well.

Fresh Blueberry and Cranberry Relish

Courtesy of Lee Bailey Reed  

Serves 4

½ Cup sliced plantains
½ Cup sliced apple
½ Cup sliced avocado
½ Cup pitted dates

TOSSED VEGETABLES WITH PECAN DRESSING
8 small red-skinned potatoes
1/2 pound green beans, trimmed
1/2 pound wax beans, trimmed
3 large ears corn, quartered
1 small cucumber
2 cups halved cherry tomatoes
3/4 cup sliced celery
1 small onion, sliced and separated into rings
1/3 cup white wine vinegar
1/3 cup ITALICA OLIVE OIL
3 tablespoons chopped toasted pecans
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
Peel potatoes by removing a ribbon of peel around center of each potato. Cook in boiling salt water for 10 minutes. Add beans and cook 2 minutes longer. Add corn and cook 3 minutes. Drain and rinse in ice water. Drain and combine with next 4 ingredients. Blend remaining ingredients and pour over vegetables. Serve. Yields 6 servings.

CAPER AND OLIVE TAPENADE
5 tablespoons capers
1/2 cup ITALICA GREEN OLIVES
2 flat anchovy fillets - more to taste
4 garlic cloves
1/2 cup ITALICA EXTRA VIRGIN OLIVE OIL
Coarsely chop the ingredients or blend in a food processor. Spoon over slices of French bread or use as a dip.