There are now so many green leafies available for salads. It's easy to get creative with some of the following seasonal salad leaves and herbs, tossed with lemon juice and olive oil to create a delishus blend of complementary flavours and textures;
Bok Choy a Chinese type of cabbage with white stalks and deep green leaves. Lovely for salads or lightly steamed.
Butter Lettuce soft leaves with a mild flavour.
Cabbage crunchy and full of goodness when eaten raw. There are quite a few varieties such as savoy, plain green, cabbage with crinkly leaves, Chinese cabbage and the wonderful purply/red cabbage.
Cos also known as Romaine, is a large, elongated lettuce with crispy leaves.
English Spinach dark green leaves with a long thinnish stem.
Radicchio is part of the Chicory family. It has ruby red leaves and a slightly bitter flavour.
Rocket also known as Arugula or Italian Cress, has a distinct tangy and peppery taste. The more mature the leaves the stronger the flavour - my fave:)
Basil has a unique scent and flavour. There are a few varieties such as sweet basil, purple basil, bush basil and aniseed basil.
Fennel a creamy-white bulbous plant with feathery-like leaves with an aniseed flavour. Can be added to salads or cooked.
Marjoram a smallish green herb closely related to Oregano but with a less peppery flavour.
Mustard Cress use only the leaves as needed. Adds a peppery flavour to salads.
Parsley universally used as a garnish, but has so much goodness should be eated daily - Italian or curly leaf.
Watercress consists of small, round delicate leaves on edible stems. Also peppery in flavour.
Sorrel closely resembles young English spinach. Slightly sour and lemoney in flavour.
Coriander also known as cilantro or Chinese parsley, has a very distinctive aroma and fresh, peppery flavour. The whole plant is edible ie root, stem and leaves.
And then there are edible flowers
these include geraniums, nasturtiums, rose petals, marigolds, chive flowers, borage flowers and pansies. Always choose unsprayed blossoms preferably from your own garden. These are a really pretty addition to salad leaves.
And of course - drum roll- sprouts
add flavour and texture to salads. Grow your own. There are loads of varieties such as alfalfa, mung bean, snow pea, bean and chickpea, etc
Asparagus and Red Pepper Salad
You will need;
Fresh asparagus, red peppers, black olives, olive oil, crushed garlic, lemon juice, chopped basil and pine nuts add a nice crunch, but not essential.
What to do;
Place red pepper under grill until skin blackens and blisters - be brave with this. Once cooled remove the skin and dice. Plunge asparagus into boiling water and cook for around 3 minutes, drain and plunge into a bowl of ice cold water.
Arrange the asparagus on a large serving platter, add the red pepper and olives and combine the olive oil, crushed garlic, lemon juice and chopped basil and drizzle over the salad. Sprinkle pine nuts and serve with lemon wedges.
Positive thought for the day
How can you eliminate three things from your lifelong 'to-do' list? Are you willing to shorten the list today? Release yourself from the obligation to do things that no longer hold any meaning for you. - Iyanla Vanzant
Today, think about why dolphins smile. The same reason you do because the things we all really want are ABSOLUTELY free - to be happy, to be loved, to be fulfilled. So, smile and be happy that you are alive in this world where the best things are free ......................
Peace 'n whirlpools of luv
xxx
