Sunday, September 5, 2010

Salads.....


Gone are the days when salads were referred to as "ghaas phoos". In fact now there are really interesting salads and we have begun treating them as main course. Go to a restaurant look at the menu and say : " I think I will just have a salad". Sounds familiar? Then you have company.

A salad, soup and sandwich( if the boys are feeling really hungry) is often our dinner on Winter weekends. Given that salads need to be prepared a little before they are actually served (for the dressing to get soaked up), makes for easy meal times.

This is a quick salad and most of the ingredients would be easily available at home.

Salad Meal

Boiled Pasta: About a handful. Cut up boiled pasta into smaller pieces.
Shredded chicken: Leftover curried chicken works well too. Debone the piece and shred them. It is a good way to use leftovers.
Raisins: A handful.
Almonds: 4/5, finely chopped
Apple: 1 apple( leave the peel on), chopped into small pieces
Vegetables: 1/2 cup, Carrots, onion and peas: Chopped and Boiled. In fact keep boiled veggies handy as you can use them to rustle up a meal in no time. Even Maggi( instant noodles) with some added vegetables makes for a wholesome meal.
Cucumber: 1/2 cup, with the peel, de-seeded and chopped finely
Tomatoes: 1, de-seeded and finally chopped( you can add the seed/pulp to another gravy dish)
Maynonnaise: 1 tbsp. Take about 1 tbsp of mayo and mixed it with about half a cup of milk. This helps you halve the quantity of mayo( my dietician's tip) and gives a ' free flowing consistency' to the dressing.
Herbs: Rosemary/Thyme/Oregano( take your pick, can also used mixed herbs). I usually save the Pizza toppings and use them in salad dressings, to season stir fry's.

Method

Mix all the ingredients together and toss the salad around.
Served chilled.
If you are a vegetarian you could skip the chicken and add more vegetables to the salad.

Can be served as a main meal or as an accompaniment.


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