Fridge Emptier Summer Salad

Sometimes those vegetables are staring at you from the back of your fridge, maybe wilting a bit, perhaps sneaking closer to their use-by date. Whatever the situation, I understand the guilt of wasting food. Perhaps you're just ravenously hungry and staring at a fridge full of ingredients you can’t just make sense of, or you're thinking not another boring salad. Well, here it is, I present to you my anything goes, anything works’ Fridge Emptier Salad. For the purists among you, feel free to follow my recipe; for those who are looking to free style, all you need is olive oil, lemon juice, vinegar, salad leaves or lettuce, some cheese and a protein. 

This salad is light yet indulgent, irresistible, and every bite is a new flavour, a new texture. Not your boring run-of-the-mill salad. So here we go.

Ingredients:

For the dressing:

• olive oil

• lemon juice 

• black pepper

• sea salt

For the Salad

• lettuce or whatever salad leaves you may have

• balsamic glaze or vinegar 

• manchego

• goat's cheese (if you don't have either of these, feel free to use whatever is in your fridge)

• walnuts (or any other nut you may have, almonds also work)

• cucumber

• tomato (plum, beef, cherry, whatever you have)

• King Prawn 

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1. First off, you’re going to want to pick your protein. My recipe uses king prawns. I like to cook these off in a nice hot pan with smoked paprika, garlic, sea salt and black pepper, making sure to get all of that olive oil goodness from the pan. If you don’t have prawns, don’t worry. Tofu, chicken, pork, salmon, whatever you have, whatever needs using, will work. A simple marinade of lemon juice, sea salt and black pepper will do wonders. If you’re feeling spicy, some hot paprika and chilli flakes can add a quick punch.

2. Now you’re going to want to prepare your salad dressing. I recommend combining the juice of half a lemon with 10ml of olive oil, although you can adjust the ratio to your preference, making sure to taste as you go. Next, add some sea salt and black pepper, and you’re done. If you’re so inclined, a splash of any vinegar can add some extra life to this simple yet delicious dressing.

3. Next, to build the salad, you’re going to want to take your vegetables and, once finely chopped (or roughly chopped if you like it that way), toss them in with your salad leaves. Pour in your dressing and make sure everything is nicely coated. Next, take your cheese, cubed or roughly chopped, and scatter it around the salad. Add a sprinkle of the nuts of your choice, throw on your prawns (or other protein), and finish everything off with a beautiful drizzle of balsamic glaze or a few splashes of vinegar. And voilà, you’ve made your salad. Sit back, relax and eat.