The secret to eating well in the warmer months of the year is to keep a large variety of fresh produce on hand. A salad of any kind can be thrown together without too much forward thinking if your fridge is well stocked with protein and fresh seasonal veggies.

This Rainbow Salad was put together on a night where I was fossicking through the fridge, knowing we were going to have some kind of salad and meat combo for dinner, but not exactly sure what that was going to be.

It ended up being a real hit with the kids and was given a 9/10… yes… my boys are my harshest critics and often rate my dinner out of 10!  Obviously anything under a 5 never makes it to the blog.. LOL!

I think the reason it was loved in our house, is because it was ‘crunchy’ and not soaked in mayo as most salads like this often are.

Topping it with some grilled chicken breast that had been marinated in lemon juice and finely chopped coriander worked really well. But feel free to use any herb you have on hand or leave  out completely if you are pressed for time.

The hardest part of this dinner is the chopping. If you have a mandolin or a food processor, feel free to use those to chop the veggies, they’ll help you get them extra fine. Changing the way you present a food can sometimes encourage fussy eaters to give them a go.

Feel free to chop and change ingredients based on what your family loves. That’s the beauty of salads. Leave out the fennel and add cucumber, leave out the carrots and add celery…..whatever works for you and will get your kids eating some fresh veggies!

Rainbow Salad

 

 

 

 

 

Serves a family of 5

Ingredients

2 Carrots, peeled and finely chopped or peeled into ribbons

1/4 purple cabbage, finely sliced

1/4 white cabbage, finely sliced

1/2 a small fennel bulb, white part finely sliced

1 red capsicum, seeds removed and finely sliced

a few handfuls of baby spinach leaves

Dressing

2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar

2 tablespoons lemon infused olive oil (or a mix of lemon juice and olive oil)

Salt and Pepper to taste

Method

Combine all vegetables in a large bowl and pour dressing over.

(If possible, leave to sit for a little while before you serve it. The vinegar will help soften the vegetables a little and give it a nice flavour).

Lemon & Coriander Chicken

 

 

 

 

 

Serves a family of 4-5

Ingredients

2 chicken breasts, cut in half horizontally, to make it thinner, and then cut into smaller portions again (this just makes the cooking time a little quicker)

juice of 1 lemon

2 tablespoons olive oil

1/2 bunch of coriander, finely chopped

Method

Combine all the ingredients and set aside for as long as you have to marinate. (The acid in the lemon juice will start to ‘cook’ the chicken slightly, so you will notice it start to change colour from pink to white.)

Heat a skillet pan or BBQ over a high heat, add chicken, lower heat to medium and cook on both sides until cooked through.

Place on top of the salad and serve with the satay dipping sauce if desired.

Simple Satay Sauce

 

 

 

 

 

 

This is a very ‘kid friendly’ satay sauce and not spicy at all. If you would like to have extra heat, just add some dried chilli flakes or finely chopped fresh chilli.

Ingredients

1 clove garlic, crushed

1 teaspoon of fresh ginger, finely grated or 1 teaspoon fresh ginger paste

1 teaspoon sesame oil or peanut oil

1 teaspoon curry powder

2 teaspoons soy sauce

2 tablespoons peanut butter

3/4 cup coconut milk

Method

Gently heat oil in a small saucepan and add the garlic and ginger.

Fry for a minute and then add all other ingredients.

Stir gently over a medium heat until combined.

Serve alongside the chicken and salad.

It will keep for a month in an airtight container in the fridge and also freezes well.