I always serve a salad in some form with our Christmas meal (this year it will be dinner instead of lunch) and even though a regular mixed or Greek salad works just fine, I wanted to turn up the dial and decided to pull out all the stops to make the salad a show-stopper. It might not be all that healthy but it screams Christmas and is just incredibly delicious. I love the way the goat’s cheese goes soft and oozy while the crust is beautifully golden and crunchy. The sweet tang from the pomegranate cuts through the richness the cheese offers. Served with a few toasted pine nuts on…
Simply Delicious
A general food and cooking blog. I like to experiment and try all different types of cuisine and I have a passion for food photography and styling.
Posts Tagged ‘Salad’
With the Festive Season right around the corner, I find myself thinking about easy, quick and delicious side dishes to serve with the abundance of grilled meats we usually have in this time. As we celebrate Christmas in a country that is hotter than hot in December, it makes sense that most of the celebrating will happen around a fire ready to braai lamb chops, steaks and boerewors. And even though the meats might be the main attraction, a braai just isn’t a braai without good side dishes. The average braai always has a mixed salad and a potato bake of some kind but I’m trying to venture further and…
I am not ashamed to say that I am a Guacamole freak. I adore it and could have it everyday. The only thing I don’t like about guacamole is that traditionally, chopped tomato is added. I don’t know why this is but it gives me the heebie-jeebies and I can’t handle the texture. However, when it’s left plain with a little bit of chilli, lemon, salt & pepper, I could gobble it up by the bowl full (and often do). Recently I had avocados in the house and wanted to create a side salad for dinner and without lettuce or cucumber, I decided to make this guacamole salad. Even…
Summer is in full force in Pretoria at the moment. The sky is brilliant blue, the Jacaranda trees are sporting brand new purple blooms and it is already ridiculously hot. When the season changes, people swarm to the gym and healthy food is a priority once more. And this glorious weather also inspires me to eat lighter, healthier food. This salad is one of my staples at the moment. I eat it for lunch on its own or as an accessory to grilled meat for dinner. I like to marinate the tomatoes and bocconcini (mozzarella) while the broccoli is steaming to really allow the flavours to mingle and…
So often after a lovely Sunday roast, I am left with left-overs and no inspiration. This isn’t usually a problem as I love a good left-over roast sandwich but sometimes, I am in the mood for something that required more thought than just slathering fresh bread with butter and stuffing some roast meat in between the slices before eating. When I had some left-over chicken a while ago I decided to use it in a salad and paired it with little bits and pieces I found lying in the fridge/pantry. The end result was a salad with serious substance, flavour and oomph. As the base I used a packet of…
When I entertain, most often I don’t serve a full 3-course meal. I find that puts too much pressure on me as the hostess and cook. When I do decide to go the 3-course route however, I like to keep things simple and re-work old favourites that are sure to impress. Here I decided to take the starter of my childhood, good ‘ol prawn cocktail and turn it into a chic salad using the same principles but adding some oomph with a home-made ‘Marie-Rose’ dressing, thinly sliced spring onions and micro leaves. I know ‘designer leaves’ are all the rage right now but I couldn’t imagine prawn cocktail without old…
When Woolworths approached me to be one of their Masterchef SA bloggers, I was over-the-moon. Not only is Woolworths my first choice supermarket for groceries (and shoes, clothes, handbags…), they are also one of the best brands in South Africa (in my opinion). So being associated with them is just wonderful. And to do be blogging about Masterchef SA is the cherry on top! I just love the Masterchef franchise and if last week’s first episode was anything to go by, this is going to be a very exciting series! Go have a look at The Pantry on the Woolworths website to see all the recipes, ideas and tips….
I’m not sure if I should be proud or embarrassed at the pure simplicity of this post and indeed, of this salad. But I guess, as it is with my life, I often go from one extreme to the other. Deep fried, doughy Churros one day and a fresh and crisp Greek salad the next. And let me just clarify, I am not trying to give you a recipe for Greek salad. I’m sure you know how to chop up some salad ingredients, add chunks of Feta cheese and olives and if you are anything like me (the person who is asked to bring salads to a braai often), you have made…
Last week I posted the recipe for Chicken Escalopes and mentioned that I served it with a Watermelon, Feta and Rocket (Arugula) salad. And before you turn your nose up, let me try to convince you that this is a FABULOUS idea! When I first paired Watermelon with Feta, I was about 19 and trying to be all “Fantastic Foodie” with my family, they didn’t completely hate the idea but I could see they didn’t love it either. I just served up wedges of Watermelon with crumbled Feta and some black pepper. Bless them for eating it with a smile while their eyes were saying “this is kind of wierd”….
Summer time = Salad time for me. We have salad as a main meal at least once a week in Summer. I absolutely adore salad in summer. And I’m loving all the new combo’s I’ve been trying lately. Now, I’m not a person who like fruit with meat. Especially NOT when it’s warm! But I am just infatuated with fresh mango, strawberries and nectarines in salads. This, however, I didn’t change much. Caesar salad is a classic that I believe shouldn’t be tampered with too much. The dressing is zingy, fresh and flavourful and the salad itself is kept simple with just some lettuce, croutons and parmesan. I added some…
