Summer is here which means it's time to ditch the pre-made supermarket salad bags and get stuck into fresh and light summer salads.

At this time of year there’s an abundance of fresh and flavoursome ingredients available. So, there’s no excuse to eat another boring salad again. We’ve put together a collection of our favourite recipes for you to enjoy over the coming months.

Summer Salad Recipes

Roast Carrot, Mung Bean, Tomato & Quinoa Salad

Serve on it’s own or as a side dish to a delicious cut of BBQ’d meat.

Ingredients 

Roasted carrots

8 carrots, (medium sized), cut in half length-ways

1 tbsp of rapeseed oil, for roasting

Spiced quinoa

80g of quinoa

1/2 tsp. turmeric powder

1 tsp. paprika

Salad

65g of Mung beans

170g of cherry tomatoes, halved

3 spring onions, roughly chopped

4 garlic cloves, finely chopped

Dressing

2 tbsp of sesame oil

1 tsp. cumin seeds

7 curry leaves

2 tbsp of sesame seeds

1 tsp. ground coriander

1 tsp. ground cumin

Juice of 1 lime

1/2 tsp. chilli powder

3 tsp. miso paste

Salt

Preheat the oven to 180°C/gas mark 4

– Coat the carrots with rapeseed oil, place on a baking tray and roast in the oven for approximately 35 minutes, or until softened and lightly charred at the edges

– Meanwhile, place the Mung beans in a pan and cover with water, Boil for about 20 minutes, then drain and set aside

– Fill another saucepan with water and place over a medium heat. Stir in the turmeric and paprika and bring to the boil. Cook the quinoa in the infused water until soft.

– Combine with the tomatoes, spring onions, the finely chopped garlic and the cooked quinoa, Mung beans, and carrots

– To make the dressing, heat the sesame oil in a frying pan and add the cumin seeds, curry leaves and sesame seeds. Remove from the heat once the seeds start to sizzle

– Add the ground coriander, cumin and lime juice and mix quickly to stop the spices from clumping together.

– Mix in the chilli powder, miso paste and a pinch of salt, then use to dress the salad and serve

Pickled Beetroot & Feta Salad

Ingredients

4 beetroots – mixed

6 baby beetroots – mixed

300ml of water

200ml of beetroot juice

200ml of white wine vinegar

200ml of rapeseed oil

200gm Feta

50 g walnuts or toasted pumpkin seeds

40g of caster sugar

1 pinch of salt

– Peel all of the raw beetroots and cut into cubes. Put the white wine vinegar, olive oil, beetroot juice, caster sugar and salt into a large pan, and bring to a simmer

– Place the beetroot cubes into the pickling liquor and cook for 3-4 minutes before removing from the heat and allowing to cool in the liquor overnight.

– When ready to serve add the pickled beetroot cubes to a small dish along with some salad leaves

– Crumble over some fresh feta, sprinkle with a little pickling liquor and scatter over a few walnuts or toasted pumpkin seeds

Kimchi

Makes about 1 litre

A staple in Korean cuisine, is a traditional banchan or side dish.

1 Chinese cabbage, quartered

4 tbsp sea salt

6 garlic cloves

A thumb-sized piece of ginger, peeled

2 tsp. caster sugar

2 tbsp Korean shrimp paste

100gm red pepper, chopped into matchsticks

200g daikon/mouli, chopped into matchsticks

6 spring onions, chopped into matchsticks

– Remove the stalks from the cabbage, then chop it into 4cm pieces and place in a large bowl. Sprinkle over the salt and massage it in with your hands.

– Cover the cabbage with cold water and sit a plate on top to keep the veg submerged. Set aside for 2 hours.

– Tip the cabbage into a colander, rinse it thoroughly under cold water, then leave to drain for 30 minutes.

– Place the garlic, ginger and sugar in a food processor and blitz to a smooth paste. Transfer it to a bowl and mix in the shrimp paste until combined.

– Put the daikon, red pepper and spring onions into a large bowl. Squeeze out any excess water from the cabbage, and then add it to the bowl, use your hands to mix it all together thoroughly.

– Spoon the kimchi into a large kilner jar and press it down so the juices rise, leaving a gap at the top, then close and seal the lid.

– Leave the kimchi to ferment at room temperature for 2–5 days. (Place the jar on a plate to catch any brine that might bubble over.) Check the kimchi every day, letting out some gas and pressing the vegetables down into the brine.

– When the kimchi tastes delicious, transfer the jar to the fridge. This will keep for up to three months.

Has this inspired you to head to the kitchen? Show us your creations! Tweet us @Createfood, to share your pictures.

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