3 Colorful Salads

The weather has been gorgeous in the last couple of days in this part of the world, too. And I am sooooo grateful for that!!! Therefore, I spent some time outdoors to recharge my batteries with solar energy and good spirit.

However, all I craved for in the past couple of days were a few colorful salads, combined with all sorts of nuts and fresh fruits. I will share with you today three of my favorite salads.

1. Rucola Salad with Smoked Salmon, Nuts and Melon

Ingredients – Serves 1 (Prep time: 3 mins)

• a handful of fresh rucola
• 50 g of smoked salmon
• 30 g of Brie cheese
• 3 walnuts
• a couple of almonds
• a handful of melon, cut in large bites
• a couple of blueberries
• aceto-balsamico
• a splash of honey

Rinse the rucola very well and arrange it on a plate/bowl. Chop the rest of the ingredients (salmon, Brie cheese and melon) in large chunks and add them all (the walnuts, almonds and blueberries as well) on top of the rucola. Season with a splash of honey (especially on the Brie cheese) and balsamico. Ready to be served!

2. Cheesy Green Salad with Apple

Ingredients – Serve 1 (Prep time: 3 mins)

• a handful of mix salad
• 50 g of feta cheese
• half of an apple
• a handful of olives
• 4 cherry tomatoes
• a handful of raw sunflower seeds
• 1 tablespoon of extra-virgin olive oil
• a splash of balsamico with honey
• sea salt and pepper to taste

Rinse all the vegetables very well and chop them roughly. Place them all in a bowl/plate and drizzle the dressing over it (olive oil, balsamico, salt salt and pepper). Boom, done!

P.S. I have recently bought this mild balsamic with honey and I hope you will also find it to give it a shot.

3. Couscous Salad with Cauliflower and Red Beets

Ingredients – Serve 1 (Prep time: 2 mins – Cook time: 5 mins)

• 50 g couscous
• a handful of cauliflower (the florets), steamed
• 1 red beet, steamed
• fresh parsley, chopped roughly
• a splash of extra-virgin olive oil
• sea salt and pepper to taste

1. In a small saucepan stir couscous into boiling water and return water to a boil for about 2 minutes. Cover and remove the saucepan from heat. Let it stand a couple of minutes and then stir it with a fork. Set aside to cool.
The proportion is 1:1 (1 part of water for 1 part of couscous).
2. Bring 3/4 to 1 inch of water to a boil in a saucepan and put an Asian bamboo steamer on top. Add the florets from cauliflower and the red beets in the steamer, cover and let it cook for a couple of minutes until soften (I usually try them with a fork before taking them out).
3. Once the couscous is done, serve it on a plate/bowl, add the florets and red beets and a splash of olive oil. Season it with salt and pepper and sprinkle with fresh parsley. Voilà! Another quick and tasty salad ready in only couple of minutes to to served.

Enjoy them all & stay healthy!