Yet another salad

Sweet things are coming soon - a vanilla angel's food cake with sweetened mascarpone and fresh berries, to be exact. But in the meantime, here is another light but substantial summer salad.

From the top left corner, going clockwise, we have:

1. brown basmati rice and green lentils, simmered together slowly till tender, drained and cooled
2. half a lemon
3. beetroot, sliced thinly, tossed in olive oil and salt and roasted at 180 C for about 25 minutes
4. parmesan, shaved
5. little baby carrots, topped and tailed, tossed with olive oil and salt and roasted at 180 C for about 25 minutes
6. fresh baby spinach

Squeeze the lemon to get its juice, toss that with everything else above, and add some salt, pepper, and a little olive oil. If you're a determined carnivore, some cold roast chicken is good in this mix.

Bacon or cheese?

Salad with bacon

And salad with cheese

Which would you choose - bacon or cheese?

Potato salad with green beans, rocket, and bacon or Parmesan
Serves 4

16 baby potatoes, quartered and steamed till firm but cooked through
handful fresh green beans, steamed for just a couple of minute
200g rocket
1/4 cup plain yoghurt
3 tbsp fruity olive oil
juice of 1/2 a lemon
1 tsp honey
salt
pepper
6 strips streaky bacon, crispy and crumbled, OR:
as many shavings of good Parmesan as you like

As you can see, most of this recipe is already written out in the ingredients list. You'll have to quarter and steam the potatoes, stem and steam the green beans, cook and crumble the bacon or shave the Parmesan, using a vegetable peeler.

Then you put the yoghurt, olive oil, lemon juice, honey, salt, and pepper in a large bowl and whisk to combine. Add the potatoes and green beans and toss to coat well.

Now divide the rocket between four plates, in nice little piles on each plate. Top the rocket with the potato mixture. Finally sprinkle the crumbled bacon or Parmesan shavings on top, and you have what I consider to be a very nice lunch.

I'd have the bacon :)