Seven delicious and refreshing salad recipes to try out this week

These seven yummy and super easy to create salad recipes are the perfect salads to enjoy on their own if you are in the mood for a light meal, or they can be served as side dishes for your planned lunch or dinner meals.

Pulled pork, cabbage and arugula

Ingredients

For the salad

• 4 cups pulled pork
• 3 cups sliced red cabbage
• 1 cup baby arugula
• 1 medium carrot, grated
• 1 small bunch cilantro, chopped
• 1/3 cup sliced almonds
• Citrus lime vinaigrette

For the citrus lime vinaigrette

• 1/4 cup  olive oil
• 1 orange, juiced
• 3 limes, juiced
• 2 teaspoon jalapeno pepper, finely diced
• 1/4 cupcilantro, finely chopped
• Salt and pepper

Method

For the salad

1. Add all the ingredients to a mixing bowl, drizzle with the citrus lime vinaigrette and stir together.

For the citrus lime vinaigrette

1. Add all of the ingredients to a bowl and whisk together. 

This recipe was found on downshiftology.com

Italian pasta salad

Ingredients

• 225g pasta, uncooked
• 380g salami
• 1 + ½ cup grape tomatoes, halved
• ½ green bell pepper, chopped
• ½ red bell pepper, chopped
• ¼ cup red onion, chopped
• ½ cup black olives, halved
• 118g bocconcini mozzarella balls, halved
• 1 + ½ tablespoons of fresh parsley, finely chopped
• ½ cup  Italian dressing, homemade or store-bought
• Parmesan cheese, grated (optional, for serving)

Method

1. Bring a medium pot of salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook until al dente, about 8-10 minutes or according to package instructions. Drain and rinse pasta under cold water to stop the cooking process and to cool the pasta down.
2. Transfer the pasta to a large mixing bowl or serving bowl. If not assembling the salad immediately, add some olive oil and toss together to prevent the pasta from sticking together. Otherwise, add remaining ingredients. Pour Italian salad dressing on top, and toss to combine.
3. You can serve immediately with Parmesan on top, or cover the bowl tightly with plastic cling wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours. This will allow all the flavours to infuse into each other. When ready to serve, give the salad a good toss and add a little more dressing, if desired.

This recipe was found on aheadofthyme.com

Salmon salad with fennel, ricotta, capers, and cucumbers

Ingredients

• 1 bunch watercress leaves, rinsed
• 1/2 cucumber, peeled into ribbons with a peeler
• 1 fennel bulb, finely cut/shaved
• 200g cold smoked salmon or trout ribbons
• 100g ricotta cheese, crumbled
• A handful of capers
• Fresh lemon juice
• Extra virgin olive oil
• Freshly ground black pepper and salt, to taste

ALSO READ: Six delicious and mouthwatering recipes under R150 to recreate for dinner

Method

1. On a large salad platter (or on 4 individual plates), assemble the watercress leaves, then top with cucumber, fennel, salmon/trout, ricotta and capers. Drizzle with lemon juice and olive oil, then season to taste with salt and pepper.
2. Serve immediately with a glass of Spier 21 Gables Sauvignon Blanc.

This recipe was supplied by Spier.

Shrimp, asparagus and avocado salad

Ingredients

For the salad

• 450g raw shrimp, peeled and deveined
• 4 cups baby spinach
• 1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
• 20 spears asparagus, (1 bunch)
• 1 avocado, sliced
• 3 green onions, sliced
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• Lemon vinaigrette

For the lemon vinaigrette

• ⅓ cup olive oil
• ¼ cup lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• ½ teaspoon honey, or maple syrup
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• Salt and pepper, to taste

Method

For the lemon vinaigrette

1. Add all of the ingredients to a small bowl and whisk together.

For the salad

1. Bring both a medium pot of water and a medium sauté pan of water to a boil. Add the shrimp to the pot and the asparagus to the sauté pan and cook for 2-3 minutes. Use a skimmer or tongs to transfer the shrimp and asparagus to an ice water bath. Drain and then slice the asparagus.
2. Add the shrimp, sliced asparagus, baby spinach, avocado and green onion to a salad bowl. Add the dressing, season with salt and pepper and toss it all together.

This recipe was found on downshiftology.com

Cherry tomato couscous salad

Ingredients

• 4 cups cherry tomatoes, (half for roasting, half raw)
• Extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling
• 1 cup dry Israeli couscous
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice, more if desired
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• Leaves from 6 sprigs fresh thyme, more for garnish
• 1½ cups roasted chickpeas, tossed with 1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika before roasting
• ¼ cup fresh basil, more for garnish
• 2 Persian cucumbers, thinly sliced
• ⅓ cup crumbled feta cheese
• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method

1. Roast 2 cups of the cherry tomatoes. These can be made in advance and stored in the fridge for a few days.
2. Cook the couscous according to the package directions until al dente, about 9 minutes. Drain and set aside to cool.
3. In the bottom of a large bowl, combine 1 tablespoon of olive oil, the lemon juice, garlic, thyme, ¼ teaspoon salt, and several grinds of black pepper. Add the cooled couscous and toss. Slice the remaining raw cherry tomatoes in half and add them to the bowl with the roasted tomatoes, the chickpeas, basil, cucumbers, and feta. Top with more fresh herbs and a generous drizzle of olive oil. Season to taste.

This recipe was found on loveandlemons.com

Summer corn salad

Ingredients

• 4 ears corn
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 3 scallions, thinly sliced
• ½ pint cherry or grape tomatoes, halved
• ¼ cup ricotta salata cheese, cubed
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
• ¼ cup fresh basil leaves, torn

Method

1. Preheat a grill over medium-high heat. Place each ear of corn on a large piece of aluminum foil. Put ½ tablespoon of butter on top of each, then roll and seal in the foil. 
2. When the grill is hot, add wrapped ears of corn and grill about 5 minutes per side, for a total of 15 minutes. Set aside and cool for 10 minutes.
3. When corn is cool enough to touch, slice kernels off and place in a large bowl. Add scallions, tomatoes, ricotta salata, and olive oil, then toss to combine. Add salt and pepper, taste, then adjust seasoning as needed.
4. Add freshly torn basil leaves right into the bowl, give one final toss, and then serve warm or at room temperature. 

This recipe was found on aheadofthyme.com