Summer Salads

So it has all been distinctively cakey round these parts lately (Lemon Drizzle to come on Monday) and in the interest of balance I decided to dedicate a post to my favourite summer salads. Limp lettuce leaves and dodgy chunks of celery *my mum's usual trick* be gone. These salads are tasty and colourful and at least slightly healthier than chips.

My most recent discovery has been an Orzo Salad (picture above) which I adapted from a Jamie Oliver recipe. Cooked orzo tossed in a good extra virgin olive oil with a tsp and a half of crushed garlic. Stand to one side to cool. Chop baby plum tomatoes, black olives and cucumber (and whatever other veg you fancy/is in the bottom of your fridge). Add to the cooled orzo, toss through and serve. Great slightly warm still or cool from the fridge the next day as leftovers....not that there will be much left!

This broccoli salad (picture above) is a recipe my mum got from a friend and there are several adaptations of around the internet. My favourite is as follows. Add 1 medium broccoli head separated into tiny florets into a large bowl. Add chopped raw red onion, cooked streaky bacon, pine nuts and cranberries (all to taste, as much or little of each as you like). Add a teaspoon of sugar and a glut of cider vinegar and then mayo to taste. This crunchy raw salad is great and the smokiness of the streaky bacon is set of by the sharpness of the cranberries. This one is a great dish to bring along to a BBQ and will leave you having to send the recipe to countless others.

Finally, this giant couscous, chickpea and edamame soybean salad is not actually homemade...spot the M&S sticker in the background. It could quite easily be recreated at home however as all the ingredients are simply tossed together in a light mint vinaigrette with red onion, red pepper, lemon juice and pumpkin seeds. Named their super whole food salad, this one is a great accompaniment to chicken and fish cold meats and BBQ's. I was lazy this time around and picked one up when I walked past M&S food but if I have a go at making it at home in the future, you know I'll write a post about it.

Have you got a bitching salad that makes you queen of the BBQ season? I'd love to know.