Name: Mango Bell Pepper Summer Slaw
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 25 min
Ingredients: 1 red bell pepper, peeled and thinly sliced; 2 ripe mangoes, thinly sliced; 1 large cucumber, thinly sliced; 1 tbsp fresh cilantro, roughly chopped; 1 tbsp fresh mint, roughly chopped; 1/4 cup toasted peanuts, crushed; 1/4 cup lime juice; 2 tsp castor sugar; 2 tsp fish sauce; 1 spoon sesame oil; 1 tsp red chilli flakes

Posted on by

Mango Bell Pepper Summer Slaw

Mango Bell Pepper Summer Slaw is a cool and crisp side dish perfect to beat the summer heat! It is healthy, detoxing and low fat. You’ll find yourself eating it all by yourself, because it’s that good!

I have recently been focusing more on recipes using mangoes because it’s raining mangoes in my house! We have a mango tree in our backyard and every year it gives so many mangoes, that are sweet and juicy! So I am trying my best to make the most of them this mango season.

Tip – If you are in a situation like me and don’t know what to do with so many mangoes, I have a tip for you to make them last all season! Simply chop them, put them in ziplock pouches and freeze them for upto 6 months!

I simply love healthy clean tropical textures and flavours. This summer slaw is one of them which makes a perfect healthy side dish or salad, adding brightness and lightness to meals! It can also be made ahead, and kept for days! Simple to toss, clean and detoxifying, this healthy salad is one to add to your summer menus.

Simply look at these fresh ingredients!

How to make this Mango Bell Pepper Summer Slaw your own

There are a few ways you can adapt this easy summer salad and make it perfect for your taste buds. Here are some idea –

If you prefer your salads spicy, add in some diced jalapeños or bird eye chilli. If you like it really spicy, leave in the seeds of the pepper. But, if you like a little heat but not as much, then simply use the flesh of the peppers and leave the seeds out.
If you don’t have fresh lemon juice available, use apple cider vinegar or distilled vinegar. But I always prefer using freshly squeezed lemon juice as it adds more flavour to the salad. But the vinegar will give the slaw the acidity it needs.
If you are not a cilantro lover, no issues! You and I will get along very well! You can leave them out, it won’t make much of a difference. Add mint leaves instead.
If you want to get slightly more creative, add in some diced avocados, pineapples or chopped tomatoes. If you are using avocados I suggest you add it immediately prior to before serving the slaw to prevent any browning.

If you enjoy having summer salad, don’t forget to try the Watermelon and Cottage Cheese Salad, Lemon Herb Grilled Chicken Salad and the Green Mango Salad.

Mango Bell Pepper Summer Slaw

Recipe by Ishana PassiCourse: Salads, Side DishDifficulty: Easy

Servings

servings

Prep time

minutes

Cooking time

minutes

Total time

minutes

It is healthy, detoxing and low fat. You’ll find yourself eating it all by yourself, because it’s that good!

Ingredients

1 red bell pepper, peeled and thinly sliced
2 ripe mangoes, thinly sliced
1 large cucumber, thinly sliced
1 tbsp fresh cilantro, roughly chopped
1 tbsp fresh mint, roughly chopped
1/4 cup toasted peanuts, crushed
Salad Dressing
1/4 cup lime juice
2 tsp castor sugar
2 tsp fish sauce
1 spoon sesame oil
1 tsp red chilli flakes

Directions

In a small bowl mix all the ingredients together for the dressing and keep aside.
In a separate bowl, toss the remaining ingredients together except the peanuts.
Toss the salad and the dressing together and garnish with roasted peanuts.

Posted on by

Asian Kale Salad

Can healthy vegetables taste good?

Kale Yeah!!

I always used to avoid eating kale due to its bitter taste and now it is one of the best kale salads I enjoy. The Asian kale salad was always a side dish for me, but eventually my dad and I found ourselves eating the whole bowl of kale salad for dinner.

Every time I toss up this salad when I have guests over, I’m left with several requests for the Asian kale salad recipe. This is the best kale salad you can think of. A simple healthy salad, full of bright and bold flavours, it’s crunchy, sweet, spicy, savoury, healthy and satisfying! It makes for the perfect lunchbox to carry along with you to work or for a picnic as it does not get soggy.

This is the easiest Asian kale salad you can toss up in less than 15 minutes! All you have to do is chop up the ingredients and toss it up with the asian dressing recipe. It’s easy to make and full of asian flavours. It only took me one bite to fall in love with it! This vibrant, simple healthy salad is great served as a main dish, side dish or even as a takeaway for a day out!

What does massage kale mean?

Raw kale is a tough, chewy and bitter leaf. It is not enjoyable to eat the leaf as it is. Massaging the kale assists with breaking down the extreme cell structure giving the kale a milder texture and a gentle flavour. The enhanced flavour is more appealing in salads and is also easier to digest.

When to massage kale?

The need to massage kale leaves only comes when you are using big chunky pieces of the leaves and have to serve them immediately. The dressing used for the salad can be used to massage the kale leaves.

If the leaves are being chopped into thin pieces or you are not serving your salad immediately then the citric acid in your dressing such as vinegar or lemon juice will break down the cell structure. The citric acid will break down the cell structure the same massaging the kale would.

How to massage kale?

Start by deboning the kale leaves. Get the stems out as they are fibrous and tough which are not required. Simply just rip them off by running your fingers on each side of the stem. Now, transfer the leaves in a large bowl with a pinch of salt, splash of vinegar and some lemon juice. Gently crunch the leaves between your palms and start to massage them gently. Keep rubbing them between your fingers until they start to wilt. Try tasting the leaves as that’s the best technique to tell if you have reached the point. The leaves should have a nice crunch to them and at the same time not be chewy.

The catch here is to not over massage the leaves. This would ruin the texture of the leaves, leaving them all mushy!

The Asian Kale Salad Dressing

The asian salad dressing is my all time favourite. It is easy to make and you can store it for weeks! You can use this salad dressing in leafy salads or noodle salads. Or you can simply use it as an asian marinade for your steamed vegetables or a stir fry. It literally takes 5 minutes to make this dressing full of asian flavours.

The salad dressing includes the usual pantry staples such as olive oil, honey, soya sauce, vinegar and mustard. Just simply whisk all the ingredients together and store it for up to 3 weeks! To finish, sprinkle a handful of roasted crushed peanuts! Hope you enjoy this simpler version of the Asian sesame dressing!

Asian Kale Salad

Recipe by Ishana PassiCourse: Salads, VegetarianDifficulty: Easy

Servings

servings

Prep time

minutes

Cooking timeminutes

Total time

minutes

This is the easiest Asian kale salad you can toss up in less than 15 minutes!

Ingredients- Dressing

2 tbsp olive oil
2-3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 tsp vinegar
1 tsp light soya sauce
2 tsp honey
1/2 tsp dijon mustard
1/2 tsp chilli flakes
Rock salt to taste
SALAD
3 cups kale, shredded
1 tsp olive oil
1 cup shredded purple cabbage
1 cup carrot, peeled and grated
1 large sliced red bell pepper
1 large sliced yellow bell pepper
1/4 cup onion sliced
2 tsp roasted peanuts

Directions

In a small pan over medium heat, add olive oil. After the oil is heated add the chopped garlic and sauté for a few minutes.
When the oil is fragrant, remove from heat and set aside to cool.
Once cooled, pour the garlic and olive oil mixture into a small bowl. Add the rest of the dressing ingredients. Whisk together till properly combined. Keep aside.
Prepare the chopped kale by placing it in a large bowl along with 1 tsp olive oil. Massage it gently until tender.
Add the rest of the salad ingredients in the bowl and mix together.
Drizzle over the Asian salad dressing, mix together until well combined.
Sprinkle a handful of roasted peanuts and serve.

Make sure to try the Green Pea and Peanut Quinoa!

Posted on by

Greek Watermelon and Cottage Cheese Salad

How-to-make-greek-watermelon-cottage-cheese-feta-salad

It’s the Greek summer favourite!

I know the minute you read Watermelon and Cottage Cheese Salad, you thought to yourself what a strange combination. This combination is not only refreshing but delicious too! One spoonful of this refreshing summer salad will leave you convinced that the combination of watermelon and cottage cheese is truly divine!

This easy summer salad is a favourite at our dinner table. We normally eat it as an evening snack or light meal. The sweet and salty mix of cottage cheese and watermelon definitely keeps us cool and refreshed during the hot summer days!

It is the perfect summer salad recipe to toss up at the last minute if you have guests coming over or just want to cool yourself down after a tiring summer day! This vibrant bowl of watermelon is sure to add colour to any dinner table while you indulge in a feast with your loved ones.

Watermelon being the juicy summer fruit, icy cold cubes of it and crumbled salty cottage cheese salad is a Greek summer favourite. I have adapted this recipe from the classic Greek watermelon feta mix, making it easier to toss it up last minute by using cottage cheese instead of feta. The saltiness of the cottage cheese makes it the perfect substitute for feta. This variation includes thin slices of onion, a handful of seeds of your choice, a touch of freshly chopped vibrant mint leaves and a tangy lemon vinaigrette dressing. I have used pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds and flax seeds to add a slight crunch.

All the ingredients required are the everyday pantry staples that we all have.

It’s important you choose ingredients wisely and pick a juicy, ripe watermelon and fresh cottage cheese for your salad. How to pick the perfect juicy, ripe watermelon?

The perfect watermelon for your salad

This is one of the tricky parts about choosing a watermelon as you don’t know what is inside. Most people check if the watermelon is ripe by tapping it. But another way to check is by lifting it.

Is the watermelon heavy according to its size? Compare it with the weight of another watermelon of the same size. The heavier the watermelon the ripest it is, which indicates that it is full of water. Also, take a close look at the colour of the watermelon. For the salad pick a dark and dull green watermelon instead of a light and shiny green one. This will make the perfect watermelon for your salad.

The salad provides a lot of hydration from the watermelon, essential fatty acids and a full profile of amino acids along with vitamin A, B, C and E from the sunflower, pumpkin and flax seeds.

Pair this refreshing salad with a chilled glass of wine and a chunk of bread. You can have it with any grilled meat such as chicken or fish, it’s a lovely light dinner. I recommend you to go out of your comfort zone and give this combination try. This is one of the best summer salads to indulge in on a hot day. I’m sure this watermelon and cottage cheese salad will become a favourite on your table. Just the way it did on ours!

Lets see how to prepare the Watermelon and Cottage Cheese Salad

Greek Watermelon and Cottage Cheese Salad

Recipe by Ishana PassiCourse: Salads, VegetarianDifficulty: Easy

Servings

servings

Prep time

minutes

Cooking time

minutes

Total time

minutes

Ingredients SALAD

1 handful chopped fresh mint leaves
3 cups cubed, cold watermelon
1/3 cup crumbled cottage cheese
1 handful mixed seeds
DRESSING
1tbsp olive oil
juice of 1 lemon
Rock salt to taste
Pepper to taste
1 tsp honey

Directions

Whisk together all the ingredients for the dressing and refrigerate.
Add the chopped mint leaves, watermelon, onion, cottage cheese and the seeds to a large salad bowl.
Drizzle the dressing and toss it all together.
Serve chilled.

Also try the Lemon Herb Grilled Chicken Salad