Munchy Monday # 10: Summer salads

Here are three of our favourite salads for you to enjoy. I serve all three together for a lunch time meal or use them separately for first course, a centre salad or just as an extra on the supper table.

1. MIXED BEAN SALAD
This is easy-peasy to prepare and needs almost no cooking. It is one of the few things we eat which is pre-prepared. The quantities are for 6 - 8 adult servings but this can vary according to your own needs.

Ingredients:

1 big jar red kidney beans*
1 small jar white haricot beans*
1 small jar yellow peas (sometimes called chickpeas)
1/2 kilo of boiled green beans
1 small tin cooked corn
1 tomato, chopped into small pieces
200 g of tinned tuna, drained
Salt and olive oil
Small piece of onion, finely chopped (optional)

Method:

Drain and rinse all the beans from the jars.
Mix all the ingredients together, adding salt and oil, and you have your salad ready.

Note: This is much tastier if it is left in the fridge for some hours. I make it first thing in the morning if it is to be served for lunch.

* The big jars here contain 570g of beans and the small ones contain 290g. If the quantities vary one way or another it really doesn't matter. The salad will still be tasty!

2. PASTA SALAD
This salad is also very easy to make and the only thing which needs cooking is the pasta. The quantities given will also serve 6 - 8 adults with a keen appetite!

Ingredients:

1/2 kilo of pasta ( macaroni, butterflies, twists or similar)
400 g tuna, drained
1 small tin corn
2 large tomatoes, chopped into small pieces
1 tin anchovy stuffed olives, drained and with olives cut in half
A handful of frozen peas
5 sticks frozen surimi, defrosted and cut into centimetre length pieces
A good teaspoon of ready-made mustard
Olive oil and salt

Method:

Cook the pasta in salted water according to the instructions on the packet. Drain, rinse and cool. Add all ingredients to a big salad bowl and stir well. Keep in fridge till needed.

Note: this salad can also be made with pasta of different colours. This would incorporate spinach and tomato and make it even more nutritious.


3. GREEN APPLE SALAD

This is a salad I use many times just as a centre salad for everybody to pick from. It is very refreshing in the summer and if different coloured leaves are used it looks quite attractive on the table.

Ingredients:

Young salad leaves or any other kind of lettuce*
Green apple(s)
Lemon or lime juice
Salt and olive oil

Method:

Wash the salad leaves, drain and pat dry . Peel and chop the apple and toss in the lemon/lime juice. Mix apple, lettuce, salt and oil together in a salad bowl. This salad is best prepared just before needed.

* I often use a bag of prepared lettuce which contains young salad leaves like spinach, rocket, red leaf lettuce, red stalk chard etc. It is also good made with lambs lettuce. If you haven't any of these then use ordinary lettuce leaves, finely chopped up.