Four refreshing summer salad recipes

Take advantage of the fresh produce of the season and create these dishes

With temperatures soaring, everyone is looking for healthy and cool options to indulge in. Choose your pick from five healthy salad recipes here, which will leave you feeling fresh and full.

Kachumber salad

1/2 medium red onion

2 cups cherry tomatoes

1 large English cucumber

1 large carrot

4 medium radishes

1 jalapeño pepper

1/4 cup coarsely chopped cilantro

2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

1/8 teaspoon salt, or to taste

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, or to taste

1/4 teaspoon ground cumin, optional

Method

Peel and finely dice the red onion. Reduce the strong taste of the diced onions by soaking them in ice water for about 15 minutes. Drain them well before adding to the salad.

Depending on their size, halve or quarter the cherry tomatoes.

Slice the cucumber in half lengthwise and dice. No need to peel or seed if using English or Persian cucumbers. For other types of cucumbers, do seed and peel.

Peel the carrot and slice using a julienne peeler or a regular vegetable peeler. Thinly slice the radishes with a sharp knife.

Seed and dice the jalapeño. To reduce the heat, remove the veins as well as the seeds before dicing.

Place all the cut vegetables into a large bowl and toss with the cilantro, lemon juice, salt, and pepper. Season with the ground cumin, if using.

(Recipe courtesy thespruceeats.com)

Chargrilled corn salad

Rapeseed oil

3/4 tsp salt

1¼ tsp ground cumin

1½ tsp ground coriander

3/4 tsp chilli powder

2 tbsp lemon juice

2 zucchini

300g broccoli

2 red onions

2 corn cobs, dehusked

Method

Put 4 tbsp of oil into a small bowl, add the salt, cumin, coriander, chilli powder and lemon juice, and set aside.

Cut the zucchinis lengthways into 0.5cm-thick slices. Trim the broccoli, and break bigger branches into individual stems. Peel and cut the onions into eighths. Put a griddle pan on a high flame. Brush the vegetables all over with oil, and dunk the broccoli in oil, so the florets are coated. When the pan is very hot, lay in the courgettes in a single layer and grill for 2 minutes on each side, until pleasingly striped, then transfer to a platter.

Grill the onions for 5 minutes, until soft and blackened, then place on top of the courgettes. Grill the broccoli for 1½ to 3 minutes. Use tongs to press the stems down, adding a splash of water to create some steam. Once tender, place on top of the onions.

Using tongs, hold each cob over a medium flame for about 5 minutes, rotating every 30 seconds or so. When the corn is cool enough to handle, stand it up in a bowl and cut down the length of the cob, close to the core, to shuck the kernels. Scatter these on top of the salad, whisk the dressing with a fork, pour over the top and gently toss to coat. Serve warm or at room temperature.

(Recipe courtesy thehappyfoodie.co.uk)

Watermelon salad

8 cups ripe seedless watermelon, cubed

1/2 English cucumber, sliced

30 gm Feta

1/2 lemon zest

4 basil leaves

Sea salt, for garnish

Method

Arrange the watermelon and cucumbers on a platter. Sprinkle with feta crumbles, lemon zest, and sea salt.

Taste and adjust flavours as desired. If you’d like, you can add freshly ground black pepper or a drizzle of olive oil. Serve immediately.

(Recipe courtesy acouplecooks.com)

Rainbow salad bowl

For The Rainbow Salad

1/2 cup carrot, peeled and diced

1/2 cup cucumber, diced

1/2 cup red cabbage, shredded

1/2 cup beetroot, diced

1/2 cup bell pepper, diced

1/2 cup cooked chickpeas

8-10 baby tomatoes, cut into halves

1 cup salad leaves, chopped

1/4 cup onion, sliced

1 cup diced avocado

8-10 fresh mint leaves

Za’atar Yogurt Dressing

1 cup plain thick yogurt

1 tbsp lemon juice

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 tsp black pepper powder

1 tbsp za’atar spice blend

Method

Layer the bottom of a bowl with the salad leaves.

Roast the beetroot if you are not a fan of the raw flavour.

Arrange the chopped ingredients and chickpeas on top.

Prepare the dressing by gently whisk all the ingredients. Drizzle on top of the salad, or serve on the side.

(Recipe courtesy mayuris-jikoni.com)