This is now a best-selling salad at the famous Spa Resorts, Koh Samui, Thailand. It’s simple, filling and full of goodies. Perfect for people you know who think salads are boring. This salad is a sensual delight!
Ingredients
– Mixed leaves – many varieties of leaf (spinach, a little rocket, red leaves, curly leaves etc)
– Sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, sesame seeds – generous helpings
– A handful pine nuts
– Small handful of sprouts
– Small handful of grated carrot
– Small handful of beetroot
– Cherry tomatoes, halved
– Fresh dill, fresh mint, fresh basil
– A pinch of rosemary
– A pinch of Italian Herb mix
– A splash of balsamic vinegar
– A good glug of extra virgin olive oil
– 1 lemon
– Roasted vegetables – zucchini, cherry tomatoes, a little onion, a few garlic gloves, carrot, beetroot, aubergine (eggplant), red, yellow & green bell pepper – To prepare the vegetables, chop them into bite-sized chunks and toss them together in a good glug of extra virgin olive oil, a pinch of rosemary, a pinch of Italian herbs and a splash of balsamic vinegar. Place all vegetables in the oven (grill) for 30-40 minutes until soft.
– 8 teaspoons of good quality pesto
– Lots of love!
Method
- Roast the vegetables first as instructed above.
- While the veggies are cooking you can start preparing the ingredients for the salad and mixing up the pesto dressing.
- Pesto dressing – take 4 teaspoonfuls of pesto and place in the blender with a glug of extra virgin olive oil, juice of half a lemon and a little water if needed to make less thick. Adding some more basil leaves may be a good idea to get a more intense fresh pesto flavour.
- Arrange the leaves on a plate and throw into them the seeds and nuts, sprouts, carrot & beetroot. Get all the colours mixed so it looks good. Pile high in middle of a big plate. Place cherry tomato halves in the salad. Throw in the fresh herbs.
- Drizzle the leaves with extra virgin olive oil and a squeeze of lemon.
- Drizzle the pesto dressing all over the salad.
- Place 4 small 1/2 teaspoon sized dollops of pesto on the plate around the edges and 4 random pieces on top of the salad.
- Top the salad with the roasted vegetables once they have cooled and a generous sprig of dill.
Article by Jo Rowkins dipNT MBANT, nutritionist and founder of awakening health.