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Summer Salad

Summer Salad

Ok, now before you turn your nose up at the idea of having strawberries with avocado, blue cheese and shaved chicken, hear me out. I know this is a strange combination and the first time I saw fruit in salad, I was disgusted. I was very much a sweet with sweet, salty with salty kind of teenager and only recently did I really start enjoying mixing salty and sweet. Just the thought of bacon with syrup on french toast was enough for me to turn green around the gills.

But this salad is magical. If you take a bite full of every ingredient, it’s like a little flavour explosion happens in your mouth (can you tell I’ve been reading Heston Blumenthal?) Each ingredient compliments each other in a way that’s hard to explain. Plus, this salad is so gorgeous, almost like culinary art (ok, I know the Blumenthal is getting ridiculous now).

If you want to keep this vegetarian, you can of course omit the shaved chicken, but it does add a nice bit of flavour. Also, feel free to add any fruit you want. But Strawberries, blue cheese and avo HAVE to be in there somewhere. I added nectarines to this salad but I sometimes add paw-paw and it works just great.

The salad dressing for this might also seem strange, balsamic and orange? Yes, it works! Believe me. And don’t shoot this salad down before you’ve tried it. You HAVE to try it before you can tell me that it doesn’t work. And with all the gorgeous fruit and avocado’s around, you have no excuses.

And if you’re a parent or know someone who is a parent to 5-12 year olds, remember, we’re running a “Win a party with Nando’s competition” and the entries close on the 17th of December. Click here for more details. And remember to read the rules, if your child is under 5 and you haven’t liked or re-tweeted, your entry will be discarded.

Summer Salad

Serves 4

1 packet mixed salad leaves of your choice
2 avocados, peeled and cut into cubed
2 handfuls strawberries, sliced
1 packet shaved chicken (the kind you get in the coldmeat section)
4 nectarines, sliced
100g (3.53 ounces) blue cheese

For the dressing

4tbsp olive oil
2tbsn balsamic vinegar
4tbsn orange juice
salt & pepper to taste

  • Scatter the salad leaves onto a large platter, followed by the salad ingredients. Crumble the blue cheese over.
  • Mix all the ingredients for the dressing and drizzle over the salad. Serve with crusty bread and a glass of ice-cold wine.
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Post By Alida Ryder
 
 
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  • Nicole

    mmmmmmm Ally this looks delicious!! I love these types of salads during hot summer days. THe salad actually looks to pretty to eat :)

  • http://www.thecreativepot.net Marisa

    Big fan of salty & sweet! After all, opposites attract, right? :-)

    This looks beautifully refreshing for summer – will definitely keep in mind for the Christmas hols.

  • http://www.drizzleanddip.com Sam

    Love sweet and salty but never been a fan of fruit in a salad. I recently did a shoot and had to make an avo and strawberry salad and was less than impressed. However, your addition of chicken and blue cheese makes this sound like a more interesting flavour combination. It certainly is a very beautiful looking and so colourful.
    Sam

    • http://www.simply-delicious.co.za Ally_R

      Nicole : Thanx doll. This is also my favourite summer-time meal. :)

      Marisa : You must give it a try. :)

      Sam : I was also so skeptical, when thinking about avo and strawberry together, it’s actually quite gross, but like you said, with the blue cheese and chicken, it just works. I think it’s the strong pungency of the blue cheese that just makes the other flavours burst.

  • http://mobicanvas.com Stephen

    Just as an aside, in South Africa Avocado is not seasonal in summer. Oops. Revise recipe if you want to use “Summer” in the title

    • http://www.simply-delicious.co.za Ally_R

      Stephen : You’re right. But I find I eat more avo’s and tastier ones at that in Summer so that’s why I include it into this salad. :)

  • engela kruger

    die heerlikste sitrusslaai resep gee ek vir julle – dit was werklik ‘n aangename verrassing toe ek dit gemaak het, en al drie my dogters was beindruk.
    SITRUSSLAAI

    Sitrusvrugte saam met avokado en verskeie blaarsoorte is ‘n wonderkombinasie. Die slaaisous het ‘n Oosterse smakie en die sade sorg vir brosheid.

    4 Lemoene die afgeskil en segmente gesny
    2 Lemoene se sap of soos nodig
    Verskeidenheid jong slaaiblare
    2 Avokado’s in repies gesny
    1 rooi ui in ringe gesny
    Geroosterde sade soos sonneblom, sesam en pampoen (kry pakkies by Woolworths)
    Gepiekelde gemmer vir garnering (opsioneel)

    Slaaisous:
    180ml uitgedrukte lemoensap
    45 ml natuurlike jogurt
    30ml olyfolie
    5 ml Dijon-mosterd
    15ml gerasperde gemmer
    5 ml heuning
    10ml elk fyngekapte grasui, ment en koljanderblare

    Sny die lemoene in segmente. Doen dit oor ‘n bak sodat jy al die lemoensap wat afdrup, kan opvang. Hou die segmente eenkant. Druk ook die res van die sap uit die vliese en vul dit met uitgedrukte lemoensap tot 180ml aan.
    Berei die slaaisous deur die lemoensap met al die slaaisousbestanddele te meng. Hou eenkant.
    Stapel die slaaiblare voor opdiening in ‘n bak. Rangskik die lemoensegmente saam met die avokado en uieringe bo-op.
    Sprinkel die sade oor.Giet die slaaisous oor of sit dit apart voor in ‘n mooi bakkie. Rond af met gepiekelde gemmer.
    Dit was ‘n vars slaai wat ek bedien het saam met gebraaide fillet

    • http://www.simply-delicious.co.za Ally_R

      Engela : Dankie vir die heerlike resep. Dit klink great!

  • Ami

    I came across this recipe on Pinterest today and I really want to try it but nobody in my family is a fan of blue cheese. Is there something I can use to substitute? Like maybe a mild goat cheese? Thank you for your reply!!

    • http://www.simply-delicious.co.za Ally_R

      Ami, goat’s cheese will work perfectly as well as Feta cheese.

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