Everything you need for exciting salads!
10 Minute Salads
This 10 Minute Salads category is a list of salad recipes that are quick and easy to prepare.
In today’s fast-paced society it can be extremely difficult to get a delicious yet nutritious salad together for your family. This is a collection of salad recipes that are quick to put together, which means less time in your kitchen and more time to devote to the things that you love.
Some of our favourites are:
FRESH MOZZARELLA AND TOMATO SALAD RECIPE
CUCUMBER AND FETA WITH CHILLI- JAMES’ SALAD
Few Ingredient Recipes
A collection of recipes with just use a few ingredients
Grain Salads
This Grain Salads category is comprised of salads that are made from a grain, which can be defined as a small, hard seed, especially the seed of a food plant.
Grains are classified as True Cereal Grains and Pseudo-Cereal Grains.
Cereal Grains
Are members of the grass family and contain substantial amounts of starch which is a carbohydrate providing dietary energy. They can be further broken into warm-season cereals and cold-season cereals.
Warm Season Cereals
- Millets
- Corn (Maize)
- Sorghum
Cold Season Cereals
- Barley
- Oats
- Rice
- Rye
- Spelt
- Teff
- Wheat
- Wild Rice
Included these groups, there are also varieties such as farro (emmer), freekeh, Kamut and spelt which are all types of wheat as well as new grains like triticale which is a mixture of wheat and rye.
Pseudo Cereal Grains
These are not true grains but in fact, are seeds from a variety of broadleaf plant families which is why they are referred to as “pseudo”. This makes them suitable for people following a paleo diet.
Nutritionally they are almost identical to and used in similar ways to “true” grains.
Many pseudo-cereals are gaining popularity as superfoods they are gluten-free and preferred by those who follow gluten-free.
- Amaranth
- Buckwheat
- Quinoa
Our favourite grain salads:
Leaf Salads
This Leaf Category is all about different types of green salads from different lettuce varieties, mixed leaves, rocket, spinach and kale.
LETTUCE
There are four main types of lettuce grown in Australia Iceberg (Crisphead), Butterhead, Cos (Romaine) and Loose leaf. All coral, baby leaf and salad mix lettuces belong to the loose-leaf lettuce group. This group of lettuce has a great variety of sizes, shapes and colours.
VARIETIES
Iceberg Lettuce
Is a very popular lettuce due to their affordability, their long lifespan and the compactness which means that one lettuce goes a long way. They have a crisp texture with the leaves growing whiter and firmer as you move towards the centre or heart of the lettuce.
Cos and Baby Cos Lettuce
Is an oval lettuce with firm spoon-shaped leaves. Crunchy and long-lasting with a crisp strong flavour, you will also find baby/mini cos varieties. Baby/mini red cos lettuce is rarely available and has a more bitter flavour. A very popular lettuce due to their affordability, their long lifespan and the compactness which means that one lettuce goes a long way. They have a crisp texture with the leaves growing whiter and firmer as you move towards the centre or heart of the lettuce.
Butterhead
Is a loose hearted soft leaf lettuce with a delicate flavour. The red leaf variety has a slightly more bitter flavour than green.
Oak-Leafed
Can either be red-leafed “Red Oak” or green-leafed “Green Oak”.” These frilled leaf lettuces have a tightly packed head and mild flavour.
Coral
Has tight curly leaves with a mild flavour it is more robust than other loose leafed varieties. Available in red and green varieties it adds a hit of colour, texture and bulk to salads.
Frillice
Is a cross between iceberg and curly, the base is crisp like iceberg and the leaves have crinkly tops like curly endive. Mild-flavoured, it’s available in green and red/purple varieties.
Mesclun
Is a mixture of assorted small young lettuce varieties and other mixed baby greens including baby spinach.
Red Velvet
Has deep maroon leaves with green undersides. It has a slightly chewy texture and bitter taste, well-matched with other intense salad ingredients such as balsamic dressings.
Mixed Lettuce Leaves
Generally speaking, a typical bag of mixed lettuce leaf mix will include a combination of romaine, oak leaf lettuce, rocket, frisée, and radicchio.
ROCKET & MIZUNA
Rocket is also known as roquette, arugula, or rucola. Rocket can be eaten young or more mature. There are a number of varieties of rocket the type sold loose is called wild rocket the broader leaf more mature rocket is sold in bunches. More mature rocket has a hotter more peppery flavour and can handle being used with hot accompaniments. Mizuna is a close relative to rocket and is a feathery salad green that originated in Japan.
VARIETIES
Rocket in a bunch
Is a variety common in the Mediterranean it grows up to 90 cm tall with round leaves and produces a white flower. It has a milder peppery flavour than wild/baby rocket and is available in bunches.
Wild Rocket
Has jagged leaves and produces yellow flowers. It has a much more peppery taste than plain rocket and is usually available in bags or loose leaf. The smaller greens are sold as baby rocket which has a milder flavour.
Mizuna
Is a cool-season Japanese mustard green with feathery, delicate leaves and a peppery flavour similar to rocket but not as spicy. The young leaves are often found in pre-packed mesclun (mixed salad leaves). When young the serrated leaves have a mild mustard, peppery flavour, as the plant more matures the flavours become more intense.
SPINACH
The delicate texture and beautiful colour of spinach adds vibrancy to many dishes and is great raw in salads.
Spinach Varieties…
English Spinach
Has longer leaves and is sold in bunches with roots attached. Wash well before use as leaves can be gritty. It’s best lightly cooked or raw in salads.
Baby Spinach
Is the immature form of English spinach sold loose. It has flat, soft leaves and a mild flavour, best served raw in salads. Good for salads or sauté, steam or boil briefly.
KALE
Resembles a rough leafed silverbeet with thin stems, you will find grey/pale green and purple varieties. It is sold in bunches as it does not form a head and It boasts deep, earthy flavours that can range from rich and meaty to herbaceous and slightly bitter.
TUSCAN CABBAGE OR CAVOLO NERO
Looks very similar to kale and is also sold in bunches and has long crinkled matt deep green leaves with a white stem and a bitter cabbage flavour. Availability all year round.
Legume Salads
Low Carb
Spiral Salads
Summer Salads
Vegetable Salads
Winter Salads
Spices, Pastes, etc..
Dressings and Vinaigrettes
A list of all our Dressings and Vinaigrettes that will really make your salads sing. Add some excitement to your salad greens and vegetables with our various dressing and vinaigrette ideas.
WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN VINAIGRETTE AND DRESSING?
Vinaigrette has a lighter texture and a more runny nature. It is a blend with an oil (frequently olive oil) and something acidic (citrus juices, vinegars), these are combined together until emulsified and then used to dress a salad. It is usually done in a three-to-one ratio, three parts oil and one part acid, salt and pepper plus any combination of spices, herbs, mustards, etc that you would like.
Dressing is a more broad term and is a cold sauce used to coat salad vegetables. It is usually based in mayonnaise, buttermilk, avocado, yogurt, etc as well as oil and vinegar.
