Mood:
hungryTopic: Fruit and Vegetables
Salad days If you thought that salad was just for rabbits, try out these great recipes for delicious, vitamin-packed main-course treats that the whole family will enjoy. Salads make an ideal summer meal-quick to prepare, full of healthy ingredients, pretty to look at, and they taste fresh and fabulous -just the kind of light meal you want when it's hot outside. There's so much wonderful fresh produce on the shelves at Asda, and with a choice of ready-to-eat salad leaves, you don't have to restrict your creations to one kind of lettuce. Well dressed Pouring over a ready-made salad dressing is another easy way to add flavour, but don't overdo it with creamy varieties that will also add extra calories-lower-fat versions are available in Asda to help you keep it healthy. Or throw in some freshly chopped herbs such as basil or mint to boost the taste. And go easy on fat-laden croutons-try our tasty, lower-fat, wholemeal garlic pitta croutons from the Caesar salad recipe, or scatter on toasted pine nuts or pumpkin and sesame seeds to add crunch. Prawn and mango salad A ripe mango will be slightly soft to the touch and have a full aroma at the stem end. Serves: 2 Preparation: 10 mins Price per serving: #3.43 100g trimmed mangetout, 1 ripe mango, peeled, stoned and cut into chunks, 4 spring onions, trimmed and finely chopped, 1 red chilli, deseeded andfinely chopped, 2tbsp chopped fresh coriander, 2tbsp Asda Good for you! lemon and pepper dressing,100g pack Asda watercress,spinach and rocket salad,150g jumbo tiger prawns. 1. Cook the mangetout in boiling salted water for 1 minute. Drain then refresh in cold water. Drain again. 2. Put the mango and spring onions in a large bowl. Add the chilli, fresh coriander and dressing. Mix these all together and leave to infuse for 5 minutes. 3. Add the mangetout, salad leaves and jumbo tiger prawns, and gently toss together. Serve at once. PER SERVING Calories 224; carbs 31g; fat 3g; saturated fat 0.5g AND FIBRE Classic Caesar salad Cos lettuce, also called romaine, is essential in a Caesar salad. It has a firm texture and a slightly nutty taste. We've made croutons from wholemeal pitta bread - this way they contain much less fat than conventional croutons. These croutons can be made in advance and kept in an airtight container for up to a week. For a bigger meal, add a 140g pack of Asda Good for you! plain chicken breast slices or slices of avocado-or both! Serves: 2 Preparation: 10 mins Price per serving: 87p 1 wholemeal pitta, split in half, 2tsp olive oil, 1 garlic clove, halved, 1 cos lettuce, trimmed and washed, 2 anchovy fi llets, drained and finely chopped 2tbsp Asda Good for you! Caesar dressing, 1tbsp Parmesan shavings. 1. Heat the grill to hot. Drizzle each pitta half with the oil. Grill on both sides until golden brown. Rub the pitta all over with the garlic. 2. Tear the lettuce into bite-sized pieces and put in a large salad bowl. Add the anchovies and toss with the salad dressing. Garnish with Parmesan shavings and the garlic pitta croutons. Serve at once. PER SERVING Calories 200; carbs 30g; fat 7g; saturated fat 1g Greek feta and watermelon salad Onions contain allicin, thought to lower blood cholesterol levels and stimulate the immune system. Eat them raw to preserve vitamin C that's lost when they're cooked. Serves: 4 Preparation: 10 mins Price per serving: #1.14 1 green pepper, deseeded and cut into chunks, 1 red onion, halved and thinly sliced, 1/2 cucumber, deseeded and diced into large chunks, 3tbsp Asda Good for you! garlic and herb dressing, 1/2 small watermelon, peeled and cut into chunks, 200g feta cheese, crumbled into chunks, 110g black olives 1. Put the green pepper, onion and cucumber in a large bowl and toss with 2 tablespoons of the garlic and herb dressing. 2. Divide the salad between four plates and arrange the watermelon and feta cheese on top. Scatter the olives over each plate. Drizzle with the remaining dressing and serve at once. If you want a larger meal, serve with wholemeal pitta bread, lightly toasted. PER SERVING Calories 293; carbs 32g; fat 15g; saturated fat 8g Pea and ricotta pasta salad Serves: 2 Preparation: 15 mins Price per serving: 88p 200g farfalle pasta 150g frozen peas, 110g ricotta cheese, 2tbsp fresh mint finely chopped, Parmesan, grated, to serve. Few mint sprigs, to garnish. 1. Cook the pasta according to the packet instructions. Add the peas for the last 4 minutes of cooking time. Drain and return to the pan. 2. Stir in the ricotta cheese and chopped mint. Divide between two bowls and garnish with the grated Parmesan and mint sprigs. PER SERVING Calories 490; carbs 37g; fat 9g; saturated fat 4g Nicoise salad Add different coloured peppers to this salad for an array of colour and flavour. The softness of the egg and crunchiness of the peppers makes an interesting variety of textures. Serves: 6 Preparation: 20 mins plus cooling time Price per serving: 84p 18 new potatoes, 3 eggs, 150g green beans, trimmed, 6 tomatoes, quartered, 2 peppers, deseeded and sliced, 85g bag Asda herb salad, 6tbsp Asda Good for you! French dressing 110g black olives. Few basil leaves, roughly torn, to garnish. French bread, to serve 1. Cook the potatoes in lightly salted boiling water for 15 minutes until tender. Drain and set aside to cool. Meanwhile, hard-boil the eggs, then cool, peel and quarter. 2. Cook the beans in lightly salted boiling water for 2 minutes. Drain and refresh in cold water. Put aside in a bowl of iced water to keep green. 3. Put the potatoes, drained beans, tomatoes, peppersand salad leaves into a large bowl. Add the dressing and gently toss together. Arrange on six serving plates. 4. Arrange the eggs on top. Scatter over the olives and basil. Serve with French bread to mop up the juices. PER SERVING Calories 187; carbs 25g; fat 8g; saturated fat 1.5g For a more filling meal, add two fresh Asda Chilli And Lime Tuna Steaks, #1.48 each (90g; #1.64/100g; fish chiller): cook for 3 minutes each side, then cut into strips and scatter over the salad. Or toss in 2 x 185g cans tuna chunks in spring water, drained. Classic Vinaigrette Also known as French dressing-perfect with a green salad. Put 3tbsp extra virgin olive oil, 1tbsp white wine vinegar and 2tsp Dijon mustard into a jar. Put the lid on and shake until blended. The dressing will separate-just shake again before serving. Don't dress a salad too soon-it'll wilt if left to sit. Prepare then put it in the fridge, and add the dressing at the last moment. Mediterranean salad secrets The Mediterranean diet attracts interest because people from countries such as Greece seem less prone to heart disease than other Westerners. Their traditional diet is based around lots of fresh fruit and veg, fresh fish and olive oil-perfect salad ingredients! Get into healthy habits now and you can carry on your good work through the colder winter months. Try adding these health-giving ingredients to your diet: Tomatoes-eaten regularly, the lycopene in tomatoes can help cut the risk of heart attack, and may protect men from prostate cancer. Dark salad leaves-varieties such as spinach, watercress and rocket are packed with vitamins C and E; eat a few portions weekly. Oily fish-the omega 3 in fish such as sardines, mackerel and fresh tuna can help to protect against heart disease and stroke, and improve brain function. Olive oil-high in good monounsaturated fats that help lower bad cholesterol. Drizzle it over your vegetables instead of butter. Red wine-it's thought that in moderation (a glass or two a day) red wine may protect against heart disease and Alzheimer's.