10 summer side salads get a make-over, part 1 & 2. Have you been making the same side salads for barbecues, picnics and pot luck for years? In this two-part series we take humble side salads – bean, potato, coleslaw, pasta, Greek, zucchini, corn, broccoli, cucumber and carrot, and give them a bit of a makeover. Some more drastic than others but all totally delicious and simple to make…so let’s start with….potato salad:
roasted potato salad with mustard dressing
Little new potatoes are roasted whole and tossed in a creamy sour cream and grainy mustard dressing with green onions and fresh mint. I’ve been making this salad for years. It’s simple to make and is delicious served warm or cold.
- CREAMY MUSTARD DRESSING
- 1/3 cup sour cream
- 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
- 2 tablespoon grainy mustard
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- salt and freshly ground pepper
- WARM POTATO SALAD
- 2 lbs (1kg) small new potatoes (try to choose potatoes all roughly the same size)
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- freshly ground pepper
- 1/2 cup thinly sliced green onions, save some for garnish
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh mint leaves, plus extra leaves for garnish
- To make the Creamy Mustard Dressing, whisk all the ingredients in a large bowl and set aside.
- To make the Potato Salad, line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C) (convection). Combine the potatoes, oil, salt and a pinch of pepper on the prepared baking sheet and arrange in a single layer. Roast in the preheated oven for about 35 minutes or until lightly browned and tender.
- Put the potatoes in a large bowl and add the remaining ingredients. Drizzle with the dressing and gently toss. Garnish with green onions and mint leaves. Serve warm or chilled. Serves 8.
creamy ginger coleslaw
This Asian-inspired creamy ginger slaw ticks all the boxes – a little heat from the jalapeno and sriracha, a smattering of fresh cilantro, crunchy toasted almonds, thinly shredded red cabbage and sweetness from oranges. Not your average boring coleslaw here folks. Nope!
- 1 1/2 cups coarsely grated carrots (you will need about 3 medium carrots for this)
- 1/2 small red cabbage, core removed & discarded, cabbage finely shredded
- 1 cup orange segments (fresh or canned), optional
- 1 to 2 jalapeno peppers, thinly sliced (if you prefer less heat, remove seeds and membranes
- 1 green bell pepper (capsicum), seeds and membranes removed, thinly sliced
- 1 cup thinly sliced green onion
- 1/2 cup cilantro leaves, coarsely chopped, plus extra for garnish
- 1/2 cup toasted sliced almonds
- CREAMY GINGER DRESSING
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise
- 3 tablespoons rice vinegar
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons sriracha sauce (chili sauce)
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons chopped, peeled ginger
- 1 garlic clove, peeled
- To make the dressing: Place all ingredients in a blender; blend until smooth.
- Toss carrots, cabbage, oranges, jalapeno, pepper, green onion and cilantro together in a bowl. Add dressing and stir until combined. Sprinkle with almonds and extra cilantro leaves just before serving. Serves 6.
grilled zucchini, walnut & feta salad
Zucchini tends to be a bit squidgy and flabby with a not a lot going for it in the flavor department. Throw some zucchini and green onions on the grill until charred and perfect; arrange them on a plate with some creamy feta cheese and some toasted walnuts and drizzle it all with a lemon dill and mustard dressing and you’ve taken the fairly ordinary zucchini salad to dazzling new heights…truly!
- 2 lbs (907g) medium zucchini, sliced lengthways about 1/4 inch (6mm) thickness
- 1 bunch green onions, trimmed*
- 2 tablespoons olive oil, approximately
- pinch of salt & freshly ground pepper
- 1/2 cup toasted walnuts, roughly chopped
- 6 oz (170g) feta cheese, broken into large crumbles (I used sheep feta)
- thinly sliced green onion tops or dill sprigs for garnish,
- LEMON DRESSING
- 1/4 cup lemon juice
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
- 2 garlic cloves, crushed
- pinch of salt & freshly ground pepper
- To make the dressing: Combine all ingredients in a jar with a screw-top lid; shake well. Or use an immersion blender to blender all ingredients until smooth; set aside.
- Preheat a barbecue to medium-high (375°F/190°C).
- Drizzle zucchini slices & green onions with a little oil. Sprinkle with salt & freshly ground pepper. Cook on greased grill 2 to 3 minutes per side until good grill marks and some charring appear.
- Chop green onions and place in large bowl with zucchini. Drizzle with two-thirds of the dressing. Carefully stir to ensure all slices are coated. Cover and chill for 30 minutes, if time permits (you can marinate the salad for several hours or overnight).
- Arrange zucchini mixture on a platter. Scatter with walnuts & feta. Drizzle with remaining dressing. Garnish with thinly sliced green onion tops if desired or dill sprigs.
- *I remove some of the green onion tops, thinly slice them & place them in a small bowl of water to curl. I use this for garnish for the salad.
sweet cucumber peanut salad
Sweet cucumber salad takes its inspiration from Thailand – a little soy, lime juice, fish sauce, fiery chilies and peanuts. When you order fish cakes in a Thai restaurant or on the streets of Thailand, they come with a little cucumber condiment that tastes just like this salad. This is super simple to make but packs a wallop of flavors. And it’s one of my all time favorite salads.
- SWEET DRESSING
- 1/3 cup rice vinegar
- 1/3 cup grated palm sugar (or brown sugar)
- 2 tablespoons water
- 2 tablespoons lime juice
- 1 tablespoon fish sauce
- 2 or 3 small red chilies, thinly sliced
- CUCUMBER SALAD
- 2 medium English (telegraph cucumbers), sliced
- 1 small red onion, thinly sliced
- 1/3 cup chopped peanuts (or cashews)
- To make the dressing, combine vinegar, sugar and water in a small saucepan. Stir over medium heat until the sugar is dissolved. Simmer for 2 minutes to reduce slightly. Pour into a medium bowl; set aside in the fridge to cool completely.
- Stir in juice, fish sauce and chilies.
- To make the salad: Add cucumbers, onion and cashews to dressing and toss to combine. Serve immediately. Salad is best made just before serving although the dressing can be made a day ahead and stored covered in the refrigerator.
3-bean salad with dates, honey & orange
I often find, as many people do who cook professionally, that inspiration for recipes comes from many different places. My inspiration for this bean salad came a cookbook I was one of the creators of many years ago. It was Middle Eastern and Northern Africa food. This salad’s flavors hail from Morocco – warm spices, dates, oranges and fresh mint. Embarrassingly easy to make but loads of flavor.
- 30 oz (850g) can pinto beans, rinsed and drained
- 15.5 oz (439g) can garbanzo beans (chick peas), rinsed and drained
- 15.5 oz (439g) can great Northern beans*, rinsed and drained
- 8 medjool dates, pitted and chopped
- 1/3 cup mint leaves, coarsely chopped
- 1/3 cup flat leaf parsley leaves, coarsely chopped
- 1/3 cup toasted slivered almonds
- ORANGE HONEY DRESSING
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1/4 cup orange juice
- 2 tablespoons red or white wine vinegar
- 1 tablespoons honey
- 1 to 2 teaspoons crushed red peppers (chilli flakes)
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- pinch salt & freshly ground pepper
- To make the dressing: Whisk all ingredients in a medium bowl until well combined.
- Add pinto beans, garbanzo beans, dates, mint, parsley and almonds; toss to coat in dressing. Best made about 1 hour before serving.
- Notes - *You can really use any beans you want in this recipe. Great Northern beans can be replaced with any white bean such as navy, kidney, cannellini.
Lovoni
here’s a pinterest pic to share
Welcome to Fresh Hunger – rustic, globally inspired food, peppered with Aussie style. I’m Lovoni – food creative, greedy guts & a lover of all things whimsical.
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