After the excesses of Christmas and the prospect of more hedonism to come on New Year’s, the days in between are ideally suited to some easy, nutritious meals that still sing of the summer season. Enter the substantial salad: easy to make, even easier to tuck into. Here are a few of our favourites.
Vietnamese-inspired beef and cucumber salad
All the freshness of beans and cucumber with hearty beef and noodles, in a fresh and zingy dressing.
Serves 2
Beef 350g beef rump steaks, trimmed of fat and sinew 1 tsp soy sauce 1 tsp fish sauce Dressing 3 Tbsp lime juice 1 Tbsp fish sauce 2 tsp water 2 tsp brown sugar ½ small garlic clove, sliced Salad and noodles 2 Lebanese cucumber, or half a skinny telegraph cucumber 1 cup watercress, sprigs 6 snake beans or 18 baby round beans, ends trimmed ½ cup fresh mint, large leaves roughly chopped ¼ cup Vietnamese mint leaves, large ones halved 1 green chilli, cut into small dice 1 packet rice noodles, cooked and refreshed in cold water
1. Marinate beef in soy and fish sauces for 30 minutes.
2. Stir dressing ingredients together until sugar has dissolved.
3. Heat a cast iron pan or non-stick pan to medium-high heat. Lift beef from marinade and add to pan. Cook for about 2 minutes each side until medium-rare. Remove to a clean plate and set aside for 5 minutes.
4. Halve cucumbers lengthwise and deseed, then slice into ribbons using a mandolin or sharp vegetable peeler. Cut beans into 4cm lengths and add to a wide mixing bowl with cucumber.
5. Add watercress, herbs and chilli to bowl.
6. Cut beef lengthwise into 3cm wide strips, then slice crosswise into bite-sized slices. Place beef on top of salad, pour dressing over salad. Toss gently and transfer to a serving platter. Serve with cool rice noodles. Recipe by Lucy Corry
Roasted tomato, halloumi and white bean salad
This simple salad makes the most of in-season tomatoes, with white beans and halloumi rounding it out. Great on its own or with barbecued meat.
Serves 4
500g tomatoes ¼ cup olive oil 4 cloves garlic, sliced Salt and freshly ground pepper 150g halloumi, sliced 100g butter or cannellini beans, drained Handful fresh basil and parsley leaves 1-2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
1. Preheat oven to 150C. In an ovenproof tray place the tomatoes, olive oil and garlic. Season. Bake for 1 hour or until soft. If possible, turn oven off and allow to cool before removing.
2. In a frying pan heated to a medium heat, add 1 Tbsp oil and fry the halloumi for 1 minute on each side until golden.
3. In a large bowl mix the beans, tomatoes, garlic, basil and parsley. Top this with halloumi and drizzle with balsamic vinegar. Add the juices from the tomato pan for a little extra flavour.
4. Serve with sourdough bread. - Recipe by Angela Casley
Chorizo and chickpea salad with date dressing
This salad is delicious and oh-so-quick to make, thanks to a handy tin of chickpeas. You might want to double the dressing as it's great with other salads and barbecued chicken.
Serves 4
Dressing ½ cup dates 1 Tbsp balsamic vinegar 1 Tbsp lemon juice 2 tsp honey Salad 2 chorizo sausages, sliced 1 tin chickpeas, drained and rinsed 1 green capsicum, chopped ½ cup olives, halved ¼ cup chopped sun-dried tomatoes 1 cup chopped Italian parsley
1. Firstly soak the dates in boiling water for 15 minutes. Drain. Place them into a blender with the vinegar, lemon juice and honey. Add a tablespoon of water if it's a little thick.
2. Heat a frying pan to a medium heat. Add the chorizo, cooking for 3 or 4 minutes each side until browned. Remove.
3. In a large bowl place the chickpeas, chorizo, capsicum, olives, sundried tomatoes and parsley, tossing together.
4. At least 20 minutes before serving add half the dressing and serve the remainder on the side. - Recipe by Angela Casley
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