Red Cabbage & Mango Salad with Garlic Shrimp

Fresh and absolutely summerish! You can serve it as a salad or you can even transform it to a main dish with some extra basmati rice on the side. If you try this recipe, please let me know on the comments below. 😀

    

Prep Time: 10 min, Cooking Time: 5-7 min, Total: 15-17 min. Serves 4 people

Ingredients:
2 tbsp olive oil
2 limes, divided
1 tsp sea salt
Fresh ground black pepper
400gr red cabbage, sliced or cubed
1 mango, julienned
1 large red onion, sliced into thin strips
Fresh chopped coriander
400gr fresh shrimp
2 garlic cloves, crushed
3/4 tsp turmeric
1/4 tsp cumin
1/8 tsp pepperoncino flakes

Method:
In a big bowl combine 1 tbsp olive oil, the juice of 1 lime, 3/4 tsp of the salt and pepper. Add the red cabbage, red onion, mango and some fresh coriander.
In another bowl, combine the raw shrimps with the remaining salt, turmeric, pepperoncino flakes and cumin. Stir well.
Heat the rest of the olive oil (1tbsp) in a large saute pan over medium-high heat. Cook the shrimp for 2 minutes on each side, until shrimp is cooked through and its color has changed from grey to orange. Add the crushed garlic at the last minute and stir to combine.
Remove the shrimp from the heat, squeeze some lime on top and sprinkle with the rest of the coriander.
Divide the salad and shrimp between 4 plates.
Enjoy!

 

 

 

Black Quinoa Salad with Asparagus and Tofu

Fresh and easy salad for the hot summer. You will love this combination. The black quinoa brings all tastes together, something I definitely didn’t expect. It is probably one of the fastest salads you will ever make. You can add other type of greens if you wish (spinach, red lettuce etc.) and some roasted pine nuts for extra taste. If you make this recipe, please let me know what you think at the comments below! 😀

Prep time: 5 minutes, Cooking time:10 minutes, Total time: 15 minutes, Serves up to 5 people

Ingredients
100gr black quinoa
100gr asparagus tips
2 teaspoon olive oil
180gr stir-fry tofu strips
200gr frozen peas
100gr fresh arugula salad
100gr lettuce
15gr fresh mint, thinly cut

for the vinaigrette
1 tablespoon sea salt
1 tablespoon ground black pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
½ tablespoon agave syrup

Method
Cook the quinoa for about 15 in boiling water. Drain good and put it in a large salad bowl.

Cut the asparagus tips in 3 even pieces. Warm up the olive oil in a wok (or frying pan if you don’t have a wok) and fry the tips along with the tofu stir-fry for about 4 minutes on high heat. Stir constantly. Add the peas and fry for about 3 more minutes till soft.

Wash good the arugula and lettuce and cut them in big chunks. Add them in the bowl with the quinoa and sprinkle with some olive oil. Add in the stir-fry tofu, peas and asparagus tips and mix good.

In a small jar add all the ingredients of the vinaigrette and shake good till everything is combined. Serve the salad in plates and sprinkle the vinaigrette op top.

*It is better to serve the vinaigrette separately in every plate otherwise it will soak the salad overnight. With this way you can keep your salad for no more than 3 days in the fridge in an air-tight container and add vinaigrette moments before eating.

Enjoy!

        

Red Cabbage Salad + Quinoa Zucchini Schnitzel

This fresh and simple salad has become one of my favorites. I made it on the spot, because I was really craving for some red cabbage (yes I know it is weird). Next time I will try it with white one and some other type of cheese. So simple, but really healthy and fresh! You can upgrade the salad by adding more ingredients, but I really wanted to keep it simple and not lose the red cabbage taste I was craving so badly. The Quinoa Schnitzels are a great alternative for vegetarians, but also a healthy one for all-eaters, like myself! If you try those recipes let me know on the comments below!

  

Prep Time: 25 minutes, Cooking Time: 30 minutes, Serves up to 5 people.

Ingredients
for the red cabbage salad
half a medium red cabbage
3 medium carrots
100gr matured goat cheese (jong belegen)
30gr fresh basil leaves
2tbsp olive oil
salt
fresh ground black pepper

for the quinoa zucchini schnitzel
2 washed medium zucchinis
finely chopped parsley
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
50gr chia seed
2 eggs
½ cup milk
100gr quinoa flakes
some fresh lemon juice for extra taste

Method
for the red cabbage salad
Wash the red cabbage good and cut in half. Store the rest in the fridge. With a big chef knife chop the cabbage in long stripes. Put it in a bowl and rub it with your hands with salt. That will soften it, but it will still keep its crunchiness.

Clean the carrots off their skin and rasp them. Add them in the salad and stir. Cut in big chunks the basil and add it in the bowl. Sprinkle with olive oil, more salt (if needed) and black pepper. Cut the goat cheese in even cubes and serve it with the salad.

for the quinoa zucchini schnitzel
Preheat your oven to 180 °C. In a deep plate mix the two eggs with milk, add the parsley and the garlic. Add some salt and pepper. In another plate add the quinoa flakes and the chia seed.

Cut the zucchinis in slices of 1cm. Dip th slices first in the egg mixture and then in the quinoa mixture. Transfer them to a lined with parchment paper baking pan and bake them for about 30 minutes, till they get golden brown. Add some lemon juice for extra taste.

Enjoy!

Chickpea salad with hummus dressing

This type of food is awesome for the hot summer days that are coming up. Fresh, simple and mostly tasty as hell! Try it and tell us what you think in the comments below. Because cooking is above all improvisation!

Ingredients:

300 gr. rocket salad  mix

150 gr. raw mushrooms

2 scallions

200 gr. of chickpeas from a can (alternatively you can boil yourselves, but mostly in summer we don’t have so much time, we prefer to chill!)

Trimmed Parmesan or Greek cheese kefalotyri

Olive oil

 

For the dressing:

Smashed chickpeas (hummus)

Salt, pepper

A bit of mayonnaise

Fresh parsley

Olive oil

Lemon juice

 

Procedure:

Cut all your vegetables, after you have cleaned them good with water. 

Throw all your vegetables in a big pot, the mushrooms, the chickpeas, the scallions, the tomatoes and the rocket salad, sprinkle with some olive oil and trim a bit of Parmesan or kefalotyri. 

Sprinkle some fresh parsley from you garden. It is always great to be able to have fresh herbs!

Put all the ingredients for the dressing in a mixer and stir them good until everything is resolved good. If it is too thick, put some water or more olive oil. 

Take your big bowl and move on to your balcony or garden. You can bake a bit of Italian bread and have it aside as a sidedish with some red pesto (always nice for summer).

Put a glass of white wine, wear a lot of sunscreen and you are ready to enjoy the hot summer evening! Enjoy!

Roast squash with feta and spinach salad

Ingredients

1 medium size squash

¼ cup pine nuts

140gr spinach

50gr feta cheese

2 tbsp olive oil

Ground black pepper and sea salt

For the vinaigrette

3 tbsp olive oil

1tbsp balsamic vinegar/lemon juice

Salt and pepper

Procedure

Preheat the oven at 200 degrees. First spread the pine nuts on a baking sheet, until they are slightly golden, (for about 5 minutes). Take them out; it is time for the squash.

Cut the edges of the squash, and then cut it in half – this would make it easier for you to deal with it – then cut it horizontally and take carefully the seeds out, leaving the skin on. Put the pieces on a pan, sprinkle with salt, pepper and olive oil. Alternatively you can put some butter on the squash, and then you will have more taste! Bake them for 35 – 45 minutes in the oven to 180 degrees. Let them cool once you take them out.

Now it is time for the vinaigrette. Always when you make salad vinaigrette you need to remember two things. For every three parts of oil you put, you need to add one part of acid. This means than you can use sesame oil, sunflower oil or olive oil, anything you wish for. And then you add the acid, lemon juice, lime juice, orange juice or any type of vinegar. After that is time for the spices. You can put all those ingredients to a small jar and mix them till they are dissolved. Your vinaigrette is ready!

In a large bowl put the cleaned and washed spinach and pour in the vinaigrette. Stir well.

Suggested way of decoration: place the roasted squash with the skin down on a dish. Add the spinach and the pine nuts. Cut in small pieces the feta cheese and sprinkle it on top. Put some extra olive oil for taste.

Your salad is ready!

Pumpkin salad with feta

A nice and different recipe for a salad that your guests will appreciate and beg for your secret! Don’t forget to clean all the vegetables before cut and always try new things with the recipes you already have.

Preparation time: 40 mins. *To cut the pumpkin is always hard and time consuming so be aware of the extra time that you might need.

 

Ingredients:

1 pumpkin

100 gr. lentil cooked

400 gr. rocket/ lettuce salad

4 spring onions thinly cut

200 gr. feta cheese cut in blokes

Some parsley

For the vinaigrette:

6 cloves of garlic

1 red pepper cut in blokes

5 tbsp. olive oil

3 tbsp. red vinegar

1 tbsp. maple syrup

1 tbsp. ginger syrup

Salt & pepper

Olive oil

 

Procedure:

Cut the pumpkin in half, pill it off, take the seeds out and cut it in blokes of 1cm

.

Boil the lentil for 20 minutes & let it cold. *Alternatively use 100 gr. of canned lentil.

Put the blocks in the oven, sprinkle with salt, pepper and olive oil. Bake it for 20 minutes.

Cook on a pan with some olive oil the garlic until it is brown and then cut it in small pieces.

Mix the garlic, the red pepper, the olive oil, the red vinegar, the maple and ginger syrup with salt and pepper for the vinaigrette.

Put the rocket salad, the onions, the feta and the cooked pumpkin blocks in a salad bowl.

Pour the vinaigrette and decorate with some parsley.

ENJOY!

Cranberry Mozzarella salad

You will need (for 3 portions):

For the vinaigrette:

Salt

Pepper

2 tbsp orange juice

3tbsp olive oil

For the salad:

300 gr lettuce & rucola salad

1 pck mozzarella cheese

1 small pck fresh mushrooms

200 gr dried cranberries & random nuts

Procedure:

Prepare the vinaigrette on a medium ball and mix it nicely. It is the best if you use a freshly cut orange.

Prefer a freshly cut orange

The orange juice vinaigrette

Put the lettuce & rucola salad and mix it nicely with the vinaigrette.

Cleaned and fresh

Cut the mozzarella cheese (after you have washed it) in square pieces.

Cut it in squares

Wash and cut the mushrooms the same way.

Normal mushrooms will do

Put the dried cranberries with the nuts (as many as you want) on top and mix with a plastic spoon. *Those dried cranberries you can find in the supermarket by themselves or in a mix with several different nuts like walnuts, cashew nuts and almonds. Alternatively you can put the kind of nuts you or your company prefer the most.

The best snack ever!

Enjoy it with a hot cup of Rooibos Orange tea!