Recipes: summer salad crunch

Not only are these salads quick to prepare, but they are a great way of incorporating fruits and vegetables into your diet.

Twisted Green Salad

This classic and fresh salad recipe takes only 25 minutes to prepare and serves 4-6 people.

Ingredients

3 large tomatoes, cut into chunks

1 cucumber, deseeded and cut into chunks

1 small head of lettuce leaves torn up

100 g pitted black olives

1 red pepper, deseeded and sliced

1 mango cut into chunks

1 red onion, sliced

200 g feta cheese, cubed

Salad dressing of your choice or olive oil

Method

Combine all the ingredients together in a salad bowl.

Drizzle salad dressing or olive oil over and season with freshly cracked black pepper. If you want to make the salad more substantial, add some chopped bacon, tuna, prawns, or chicken for an instant meal.

Avocado Salad

If you’re tired of a plain green salad, try out this filling side salad that serves six people. Perfect as an accompaniment to any braai, you won’t need any other sides with this one.

Ingredients

4 large, ripe avocados cut into cubes

1 red onion sliced

1 large cucumber sliced into thin rounds

1 cup of finely julienned beetroot

Lemon juice

Black pepper

Method

On a large serving platter, layer the cucumber to cover the base. Layer the red onion slices on top of the cucumber. Place avocado cubes and julienned beetroot on top of the onion.

Cover liberally with lemon juice, and season with freshly cracked black pepper.

Crunchy Chicken Salad

Try out this crunchy chicken salad that serves four people and will fill your family up quickly.

Ingredients

60ml margarine

3 slices thick white bread, crusts removed and cubed to make croutons

250g chopped bacon

400g chicken breast chopped up

1 packet of assorted salad leaves

125g cherry tomatoes

125g baby corn

Method

Heat half the margarine in a pan and fry the croutons until golden brown and crispy, remove from the pan and place on a paper towel to drain.

Fry the chopped bacon until crispy, remove and set aside. Season the chicken with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Melt the remaining margarine in the same pan and fry the chicken until cooked properly – be careful not to overcook the chicken as this will lead to dry chunks of chicken in your salad.

Once the chicken has slightly cooled, arrange the salad leaves in a large bowl and add croutons, bacon, chicken, cherry tomatoes, and baby corn. Serve with a caesar dressing on the side, or make your own dressing by whisking together 1 tablespoon of honey, 1/3 cup of balsamic vinegar, 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard, ½ cup of olive oil, and salt and black pepper to taste.