Delicious Salad Ideas From the Medicinal Chef

Salads are an essential part of any healthy diet, but that doesn’t mean they have to be boring! Dale Pinnock has some great salads ideas in his new cookbook that are guaranteed to get you excited about cooking healthily.

Try out these recipes for your lunches next week:

Carrot “Noodle” Salad There certainly seems to be a real craze of late for vegetable noodles and things of that ilk. These aren’t anything new, though: I remember chowing down on spiralized sweet potato noodles back in the 1990s. Making vegetable noodles is a  great way of bringing new textures into salads; we have all had chopped and sliced vegetables a million times, but getting creative with shape and texture makes things interesting again. In this recipe I have opted for a vegetable peeler to make flat noodles. If you have a spiralizer, then by all means use it for this. Serves: 1 for lunch or 2 as a side 2 large carrots 1 teaspoon olive oil 2 spring onions (scallions) 1 teaspoon raisins 2 teaspoons sesame seeds small bunch coriander (cilantro), torn For the dressing 1 teaspoon honey 1 clove garlic, finely chopped or crushed ½ teaspoon curry powder 1 teaspoon light soy sauce 4 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil

Using a swivel vegetable peeler, slice down the length of the carrots to give long, thin ribbons that resemble flat noodles. Place these in a bowl and drizzle over the olive oil. Toss well, then set aside for 10 minutes.

Cut the spring onions (scallions) on the diagonal into long slices then add to the carrots with the raisins, sesame seeds and torn coriander (cilantro).

Combine all the dressing ingredients and whisk well. Dress the salad and toss.

Cheeky Chopped Salad Packed with protein, good fats, minerals and phytochemicals, this is the perfect salad for protein junkies. It will keep you full for hours. Serves: 1 1 ripe avocado, finely diced 2 large tomatoes, finely diced ¼ red onion, finely diced 2 hard-boiled eggs, finely diced 50g (1.oz) blue cheese, finely diced or crumbled sea salt and black pepper For the Parmesan cream 80g (1 ¼ cups) freshly grated Parmesan cheese ½ clove garlic, finely chopped or crushed 1 teaspoon horseradish sauce

Combine the avocado, tomatoes and red onion in a bowl, and toss with a pinch each of salt and pepper. Transfer to a serving plate and top with the diced egg and blue cheese.

Whisk together the Parmesan cream ingredients with 2–3 tablespoons water and dress the salad with the cream.

Roasted Fennel, Green Pea and Rocket Salad with Goat Cheese This is a beautiful, vibrant, summery salad. Roasting vegetables and throwing them into salads can be so successful; the contrast of warm and cool is great. Fennel roasts beautifully. Serves: 1 for lunch or 2 as a side 1 fennel bulb olive oil, for drizzling 45g (1.oz) rocket (arugula) 2 handfuls frozen garden peas, defrosted 60g (2oz) soft goat cheese sea salt and black pepper

Slice the fennel bulb into quarters lengthways, leaving the root intact so that the layers of each quarter hold together, and put into a roasting tray or dish. Drizzle with a little olive oil, sprinkle over a pinch each of salt and pepper and roast for 20–25 minutes until soft and turning golden brown at the edges; keep checking to avoid burning.

Combine the rocket (arugula), peas and roasted fennel in a bowl. Crumble over the goat cheese and sprinkle over some cracked black pepper and a pinch of salt. Toss well.

Dale Pinnock’s new book How to Cook Healthily is filled with simple techniques and everyday recipes for a healthy, happy life. In stores now where all good books are sold.