Jamie's 30 Minute Meals - Pinenut, Sun-dried Tomato and Cucumber Salad

This is the salad that Jamie Oliver creates with his Oozy Mushroom Risotto. Again, I have tried to write out what he has written and included some pics. They were for my use but thought I would share as the Mushroom Risotto is gorgeous and the salad is very fresh and zingy.

Ingredients

Pine nuts

Olive Oil

Balsamic Vinegar

Sundried Tomatoes

Lemon

Packet of Baby Spinach leaves

Cucumber (Lebanese)

Mint

Parmesan Cheese

Method

In a heavy based pan lightly toast 200 grams of pine nuts.

Add to 3 tbspn of olive oil to a large salad bowl. Add 1 tbspn balsamic vinegar. Add 5 or 6 sundried tomatoes roughly cut in 1cm strips, squeeze in half a lemon, add a sprinkle of salt and  give it all a gentle mix in the bowl with your fingers.

Cut a packet of baby spinach leaves into 1 cm strips (Jamie gently holds the whole batch in a ball and cuts with a sharp knife).  Place on top of the dressing the bowl but don’t mix through until you are ready to serve.

Score the outside of a cucumber (I used a Lebanese but I think Jamie used the really long one that comes in plastic) then cut in half and then cut on angle in centimetre cuts.  Place the cucumber in the bowl on top of the salad.

 

Rip up a few sprigs of mint and throw on top.

Now dress the salad by gently tossing everything through with your fingers.  Make sure everything is scrummy and coated.

Now add the hot toasted pine nuts.  Add a few scrapes of parmesan cheese (maybe a couple of tbspns) and enjoy:)

The salad is from Series 1, Episode 8 where Jamie Oliver makes Oozy Mushroom Risotto, this salad and a yummy lemon, raspberry and gingernut desert. I am going to try and make the desert at a later date and will add it to this site if it's a success:)

All pictures are taken from the television program - Jamie's 30 Minute Meals

Sweet Potato and Chickpea Salad - Healthy salad :)

Made a yummy salad last night and thought I would share.

1 large sweet potato (orange/gold) about 400g
1 large onion
1/2 cup of low fat natural yoghurt
2 tbs coriander
1 tbs lemon juice
1 x 400g of chickpeas
60g of rocket

Dice the sw. potato into 1.5cm cube. Cut onion into wedges.  Put on a baking tray and spray with olive oil and bake in oven (180 degrees C) for about 25 minutes or until cooked (when you can poke the sw. potato with a fork and its soft enough to skewer).

When this is cooked let it cool for about about 5 to 10 minutes then place in a salad bowl.

Drain can of chickpeas (rinse them with water if you like) then place them in the salad bowl as well.  Wash rocket and add to salad bowl.

Combine yoghurt, lemon juice and coriander (i use the squeezy tube of coriander but you can use fresh as well) in a bowl and then mix through the salad.

You are ready to serve and eat.

YUMMY!

Asparagus salad with lime dressing

1 bunch of asparagus

250g of frozen baby peas

½ red capsicum

½ red onion (or white doesn’t really matter)

½ cup of fresh lime juice

½ cup of fresh mint leaves

2 tsp brown sugar

Cut off the woody ends of the asparagus and cut into 2.5cm pieces.  Lightly oil a pan (spray it with olive oil) and stir fry the asparagus until tender

Transfer to a salad bowl

Cook peas as per instructions on pack (boil for 2-4 minutes) and drain in a colander and rinse them with cold water. Add to the salad bowl.

Finely chop the capsicum and onion.  Combine lime juice, mint and sugar in a bowl. Add in capsicum and onion.

Add mixture all together in salad bowl. Stir and Serve.

A yummy fresh spring salad:)  This one was taken from September AGT but I have modified it a little.