Steak and salad

Actually we had steak and four salads. And we ate outside because it was heavenly - this is what it was like:

How lovely is Townsville this time of year?

So anyway FOUR salads - I was on such a roll this afternoon!

Salad 1: French Cabbage Salad

This is fantastic for people who are a bit over coleslaw. 

You need:

1/4 white cabbage

1 red apple (I used a pink lady)

1/2 cucumber

1-2 sticks celery

a big handful of garlic chives or spring onion tops

Slice the cabbage thinly (you can use a mandolin for this if you like) 

Peel the cucumber but leave a tiny bit between each strip of peel you remove because it is just prettier that way. Slice thinly (again with the mandolin) and halve the slices

Slice the celery thinly too

Cut the apple in four, core it and then cut each piece into 8-10 depending on the size of the slices

chop the garlic chives

Throw it all into a bowl - a bigger bowl than you intend to serve in nd toss together. Hands are the best tools for tossing.

Then mix the dressing in the high tech dressing machine (a vegemite jar)

3 tablespoons cider vinegar

1 tablespoon olive oil (I used the lemon infused oil)

pinch seasalt

pinch raw sugar

Shake well and pour over salad - this one is fine to be dressed in advance

French Cabbage Salad

Salad 2: Fennel salad with mint

one head baby cos, washed and dried

one baby fennel

1/2 cup mint

Let me just say that any salad that treats mint as a vegetable rather than a garnish will be worth a try

Chop the cos roughly into pieces that are bite size

tear the mint from the stalks and add

Slice the fennel as thinly as possible

Mix dressing in aforementioned hi tech gadget

1/3 cup lemon juice 

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 tablespoon baby capers

seasalt

fresh ground pepper

Pour over salad just before serving

Fennel salad with mint

Salad 3: Baby spinach with citrus

1/2 bag baby spinach leaves. If you have time to pick the stalks off this makes it a whole lot more appetising

1/4 red onion sliced very thinly

1/2 can mandarin segments

1 lebanese cucumbers cut into batons

Mix spinach, cucumber and onion together in a large bowl. Tip into serving container and top with drained mandarin segments.

Serve with a lemon and balsamic dressing - I used the one from here 

Check out the vintage Tupperware - this is a relic from my wedding shower in 1982

Baby spinach with citrus

Salad 4: Balsamic asparagus and tomato 

2 bunches asparagus

1 punnet grape tomatoes

2 dsp parmesan (15 ml spoon size)

Grind the parmesan in the Thermomix if you have one or grate it finely

Halve the tomatoes

Snap the woody ends off the asparagus and cut into 3-4 pieces. Cook in boiling water for 3-4 minutes then plunge into iced water and drain.

combine vegetables in a bowl and mix your dressing

100ml orange juice

1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

a pinch of seasalt

Pour dressing over and sprinkle with parmesan. This one can be dressed in advance too.

Balsamic Asparagus and Tomato

Find a man to barbecue the steak for you 

There are 12 ProPoints in the four salads combined - 5 each in the salads with oil in the dressing and 2 in the parmesan. We served three and had lots of leftovers so I think you could eat your fill and track 2 PP plus your steak. And of course this knocks over the vegetable part of the Healthy Checks!

Just YUM!