The first thing I should probably tell you about this salad is that it isn’t strictly a ‘green salad’ as you might have seen – or devoured – them before. It doesn’t actually contain a leaf of lettuce, but it’s a salad made up of mostly green things. This salad is a glorious heap of avocado, peas, broccoli, feta and mixed seeds, drizzled in a honey and mustard dressing.
This salad works really well as an accompaniment to a summer BBQ, or – if you’re trying to cut down on buying an excessive number of lunches every week like me – as a packed lunch to take to work. (Note: If you’re preparing the salad in advance it’s best to only add the avocado just before serving so it stays nice and green and doesn’t go brown).
The 50 Shades of Green Salad is loosely based on Leon’s very delicious, and incredibly healthy, Superfood Salad. This recipe serves 4 people as a side, and makes about 2 big portions as a main meal. For me the salad is most refreshing when it’s cold, so I leave the cooked vegetables to cool while I prepare the rest of the ingredients, but you can eat it straight away and have it warm too if you’re too hungry to wait.
50 Shades of Green Salad
Ingredients
1 ripe Avocado
1 Head of Broccoli
100g Frozen Peas
50g Feta Cheese
Handful of Mixed Seeds (sunflower, pumpkin, sesame, and golden linseeds work nicely)
2tbsp Olive Oil
1tsp Balsamic Vinegar
1tbsp Mustard
1tbsp Honey
Squeeze of Lemon
Start by cutting the head of broccoli into florets, and simmering until al dente (approx 3 minutes). In the last minute tip in the frozen peas and take off the heat as soon as they rise up and start bobbing on the surface of the water. Drain the cooked vegetables and leave to cool.
Once the broccoli and peas have cooled down slice the avocado into long slender slivers and place on the serving plate, tipping the cooked vegetables on top and giving them all a gentle mix to combine. Scatter with chunks of feta, or crumble it over the salad.
To make the dressing combine the olive oil, balsamic, mustard, honey and lemon in a jug and whisk together with a fork. Drizzle over the salad evenly, and sprinkle the dish with the mixed seeds.
All Things Nice 