Cous Cous Salad

There's something fantastic about cous cous. To me, living in Australia, it seems like a foreign food, and I do get a bit of a thrill out of eating it when I do. I love cous cous salads with bbqed meats on one of those hot summer days we're heading into, so when I saw this recipe on Josie's Kitchen blog for the Secret Recipe Club Reveal, I just had to make it. I added some shredded turkey, and left out the mint (only because the caterpillars which have infested my garden have eaten it all!) but I think the mint sounds delightfully refreshing for a summer's afternoon dinner. It's a light salad yet hearty at the same time. My kids love it, my little one year old came back for seconds (which is amazing because she hates solids!) So thank you Josie! It's a wonderful recipe that makes me think of Moroccan dishes, warm weather and sitting out on the deck with a glass of wine on those sultry summer nights...

COUS COUS SALAD (Adapted from  Josie's Kitchen)

1 cup water
olive oil
1 cup dry cous cous
handful fresh parsley
1 cucumber
2 firm, large tomatoes
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/2 cup shredded turkey (pre cooked)
Salt and pepper to taste

In a medium saucepan, boil water. Add one tablespoon olive oil to the water, plus the dry cous cous. Remove from heat and set aside with the saucepan lid on. When the water has been absorbed by the cous cous, remove from the saucpan into a salad bowl. Break up any lumps. If the lumps do not break down and it appears "gluggy", add a little more oil and mix through.
Finely chop the parsley.
Finely chop the cucumber and tomatoes. Mix the parsley, cucumber and tomatoes through the cous cous. Add the shredded turkey and mix through. Drizzle lemon juice over the salad. You may add salt and pepper to the salad if you desire.

Roasted Strawberry Poppy seed Salad

I told you I had strawberries coming out of my ears, didn't I? Forget 4 kg of berries...the quantity eventually exceeded that, and I fear this whole month will be comprised of strawberry recipes due to us all wading through those fat, shiny and delicious berries here in Queensland.
I don't hear anyone complaining.
And I certainly wasn't complaining when I discovered a delightful Strawberry Poppyseed Salad through The Savvy Kitchen. I missed out on being part of the Secret Recipe Club last month but I'm back in the game with this tantalizing and festive looking combination of leafy greens, poppyseeds and fruit. I admit, it's an unusual medley, and something that has been on my to-make list for a long time. Thankfully my husband enjoys the occasional blind-date with a new and unusual gourmet creation of mine, so I put it to the test with him 1.) knowing that he hates small seeds such as poppy seeds and strawberry seeds in anything because they are hard to get out of your teeth, and 2.) that he comes from a line of people who do not have fruits or nuts in their salads.
The outcome? "That's really good! surprisingly good!" says he as we stabbed our forks around that colourful bowl of salad.
And so it was. The textures and the flavours were beautifully balanced--the nuttiness of the slivered almonds, the crunch of the onion, the tanginess of the strawberries, and the sweetness of the dressing were all a feast for the senses. Not to mention how pretty it looked. To top it off,  neither of us ended up with any demon seeds in our teeth.
I made this recipe with a little twist, as I had been experimenting with strawberries at an earlier point. I decided on baking a tray of sliced strawberries for a few hours in the oven and arrived at a very interesting new garnish. I thought these roasted strawberries would go beautifully in this salad. The roasting process seems to infuse the air with the sweetest strawberry aroma, removing that sweetness from the berry and leaving a very tangy crisp strawberry chip at the end. I think it went beautifully in the salad, but if you cant afford the time in strawberry roasting, fresh berries would be equally as delightful.

ROASTED STRAWBERRY POPPY SEED SALAD (adapted from The Savvy Kitchen)

2 tbsp. sugar
1 tbsp. mayonnaise
2 tbsp. milk
1 tbsp. poppy seeds
1 tbsp. vinegar
1 bag mixed lettuce
1 cup roasted strawberries
3 tbsp. slivered almonds, toasted
1/2 small red onion, sliced thinly

In a small bowl, combine sugar, mayonnaise, milk, poppy seeds and vinegar. Whisk to combine thoroughly.
Ina large serving bowl, place the washed lettuce leaves. Spinkle the strawberries, almond slivers and onions over the lettuce. Dollop the poppy seed dressing onto the salad and serve.

Serves 6 as sides

Golden Roast Potato Salad

It's got a bit of crunch. It's got a fresh tangy bite. It's mellow at the same time and looks divine...and tastes even better. All golden and roasted.
Why not jazz up the potato salad this Christmas? The pasty, soggy potato salad is a thing of the past, or could be, if you take a chance and try this combo.
It recently hit me that I had never seen a roasted potato salad, and wondered why on earth it had never come into my little mind until then. So I set about making it, with huge success. Yes, it takes a little more time than the slushy potato salad you see in the supermarkets and on dinner tables as a standard, but its so worth it. You will never want to look at another potato salad again!

GOLDEN ROASTED POTATO SALAD

5 large potatoes, diced
1/4 cup to 1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup sliced sun-dried tomatoes
1 stick of celery, sliced thinly
3 rashers bacon, fried till crispy
fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped roughly

Peel and chop potatoes into bite sized pieces. Place potato in a large saucepan and cover with water; boil for a little while until beginning to soften (but not too soft or it will just fall to bits). Remove from heat and drain.
Coat potato with a little oil and pop in the oven on a roasting tray, turning occasionally until roasted as desired. Cool. Combine all other ingredients in a bowl and add potato.
Toss gently to combine. Serve.

Sharing the Coveted Recipe--Italian Salad

Someone get me a crane! For heaven's sake, I need it! I sound like a dying moose every time I have to do anything slightly strenuous...and that means everything from getting out of bed to lifting my son. Yes...I made the mistake of getting on the scales the other day and looking at how much weight I'd gained since becoming pregnant 6 months ago, and almost broke the scales.
Is it going to stop me from baking? Not in your life. The baby calculator tells me I can safely put on another 10kg and I'm guessing I will. But it does feel rather unattractive. Thankfully I'm not an emotional eater. I'm just an emotional baker. And I tell you what, those pregnancy hormones have a way of making an emotional wreck out of this ship sometimes.
Anyway, my hormones are making me feel giving, so I'm going to pass on a coveted recipe of my mother's. Shh. Don't tell her! Its for salad, just so you know, I do eat other things besides sweets, in case you were wondering.
It's a divine Italian salad sporting all their favourites, from tomatoes to olives and cheese quite typically and without all the greens. I'm not usually into eating salads as a main, but I tell you, you'll want to with this one! You wont be able to stop!

ITALIAN SALAD

800g firm, ripe tomatoes, sliced into bite sized chunks
1/4 tsp sugar
125g garlic sausage, rinds removed and thickly sliced
60g black olives, halved and pitted
125g mozerella cheese, diced
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp lemon juice
1/2 tsp. french mustard
salt and freshly ground pepper
1 medium red onion, peeled and thinly sliced
 1 tbsp finely chopped parsley or basil

Put the chopped tomatoes in a large serving bowl and sprinkle with sugar. Cut each garlic sausage into small peices, ass to the bowl with the olives and cheese and stir gently to mix. In a seperate bowl whisk together the oil and lemon juice until thick, then whisk the mustard and salt and pepper into the dressing to taste. Pour this dressing over the tomato salad, add the onion and parsley and mix gently until the salad is thoroughly coated. Taste and adjust seasoning as desired, then cover and chill until serving time.

Serves 6

NOTES: If preparing the salad ahead of time, do not add the dressing, onion and herbs until just before serving.

Porky at 24 weeks