Healthy Veggie Sides

Week beginning Friday 31st July 2020

These 4 veggie sides are a great way to amplify your main meal (or BBQ) and boost your veggie count for the day.  

Balsamic Orange & Red Onion Salad

Oranges in a salad are so underrated and prepared like this, they couldn’t be simpler to put together. I originally used blood red oranges in this pic but they’re very seasonal, so go for the smaller juicier varieties available all year round. Simply peel, keeping the orange whole and intact, removing as much pith as possible with a sharp knife. Slice into thick rounds and arrange with thinly sliced red onion. Then drizzle with a little balsamic vinegar and olive oil. Season with salt & pepper. SO good!

Roasted Aubergine with Green Tahini Dressing

When recipe testing is a hit!! The flavour here is all in the green tahini sauce and with a base of roasted aubergine and topped with toasted almonds….wow!

Ingredients
2 aubergines
A handful of raw, unsalted almonds (or hazelnuts), roughly chopped
Olive oil for roasting
Salt & Pepper

Dressing
2tbsp Tahini
1 large bunch fresh coriander
Juice of ½ lemon (or more if desired)
Salt to taste

• Cut each aubergine in half and then into wedges. In a large bowl, toss with a little olive oil, salt & pepper. Arrange on a baking tray and roast for around 35mins at 180 degrees, until they are golden in colour but still retain their shape and size – you want them still fleshy!
• Whilst the oven is on, dry toast a large handful of almonds (chopped in half), taking care to check regularly so they don’t burn. Set aside.
• Meanwhile, in a food processor, drop the coriander onto a running blade to chop finely. (Otherwise, finely chop with a sharp knife). Then combine with remaining ingredients in a jar and add a little water, tablespoon by tablespoon, until you have a thick pouring consistency. Set aside.
• When you’re ready to serve, arrange the roasted aubergines wedges on a serving platter and pour the tahini dressing haphazardly over. Keep a little to serve separately (if required). Sprinkle the toasted nuts and serve.

Nutty Broccoli Salad

I do love using toasted nuts in a salad and here, I’ve gone one stage further and doused this steamed broccoli & cashew salad with a nut butter dressing made with a nut oil too! It’s such a deliciously rich deep flavoured dressing and such a tasty way to boost your healthy fat intake.

This vegan salad is also a surprisingly good source of protein; both the broccoli and cashews provide great protein and further boosted with the dressing.

Dressing
2tbsp (any) nut butter
2tbsp Apple cider vinegar
2tbsp nut oil (I used Macadamia nut oil kindly gifted by Olivado UK, available at Waitrose & Sainsbury’s  ).
Salt to taste

• Add ingredients to a jar and mix up with a spoon. Now add 2-3 tbsp cold water and shake vigorously. Keep adding water a little at a time until the desired consistency. For a more tangy flavour adjust vinegar as desired too.

Roasted Mediterranean Stuffed Red Peppers

These vibrant stuffed red peppers have graced my meals time and time again over the years! They are a perfect addition, whether it’s a casual weekend family meal or midweek supper with friends and of course, amazing with a bbq.  As well as being incredibly tasty, they’re a nutritious addition to any meal, providing at least 2 of your 7-a-day in just one half! They work equally well as a meal on their own with some crusty bread and a green salad and can be prepared in advance and kept in the fridge until you’re ready to pop them into the oven. CLICK HERE for the recipe