Anything Goes Salad

Salad can be a delicious, colourful, crunchy combination of vegetables, fruit, nuts and seeds, cheese and even meat or fish. This salad is a good source of vitamin C for healthy bones, teeth and gums. One portion of this salad also counts as two of your 5-a-day.

Ingredients

150g broccoli
150g French beans
100g frozen peas
1 small red onion
2 x 15ml spoons red wine vinegar
1 red or green leafy lettuce
10 radishes
1 orange pepper
1 ripe avocado
1 x 15ml spoon olive oil
1 x 198g can sweetcorn
50g dried cranberries (optional)
150g low-fat natural yoghurt

Equipment

Weighing scales
Saucepan
Large mixing bowl x 2
Chopping board
Sharp knife
Slotted spoon
Small bowl
Measuring spoons
Salad spinner (optional)
Kitchen paper
Teaspoon
Can opener
Sieve
Large spoons
Serving dish (optional)

Instructions

1. Wash, then cut the broccoli florets from the stem and cut in half or quarters, to make bite-sized pieces.
2. Fill the saucepan with water and bring to the boil. Fill a mixing bowl with ice-cold water.
3. Blanch the broccoli by putting it into the boiling water for 2 minutes and then scoop out with the slotted spoon and transfer to the cold water.
4. Wash, top and tail the beans and cut in half. Blanch and refresh them as above. You may need to change the cold water.
5. Weigh the peas and add to the cold water with the broccoli and beans.
6. Peel the onion and cut in half through the root. Slice into thin semicircles and break up the layers into a small bowl. Measure the vinegar over the onions and stir to combine.
7. Wash the lettuce in plenty of cold water. Tear the leaves into bite-sized pieces and dry in a salad spinner or use kitchen paper. Place in the large mixing bowl.
8. Wash, top and tail the radishes. Cut into quarters and add them to the lettuce. Wash and deseed the pepper. Cut into bite-sized chunks and add to bowl.
9. Carefully move the onions to the large bowl, reserving the vinegar in the small bowl.
10. Cut the avocado in half and remove the stone. Using a teaspoon, scoop the flesh into the vinegar. Measure the oil over the avocado and mix gently to coat it.
11. Carefully open the can of sweetcorn and drain it in the sieve. Rinse with cold water and add to the salad. Drain the broccoli, beans and peas and then pat dry with kitchen paper. Add to the salad.
12. Transfer the avocado to the salad and add the cranberries, keeping a few to sprinkle on the top. Spoon over the natural yoghurt.
13. Using clean hands or large spoons, toss the salad until it is well combined and transfer to your serving dish. Sprinkle on the cranberries (if using).

Skills used include:

Washing, weighing, measuring, peeling, chopping, mixing/combining and serving.

Top nutrition facts

• Broccoli and other green leafy vegetables are good sources of Vitamin C.
• Vitamin C helps healing and fighting infection.

Top Tips

• Vitamin C is water soluble so, to get its full benefit, make sure you do not overcook the broccoli. Even better, if you like it raw, just chop it up into small bitesized pieces instead.
• Adding acidic vinegar to the onions takes away their potency. You could use any vinegar, or lemon juice, for this.
• Refreshing the vegetables in cold water stops them cooking further and keeps them a vibrant green colour.

Something to try next time

• Try adding 200g of sliced cooked turkey breast for a meat version.
• You can make delicious croutons by baking stale bread torn into pieces. Bake in the oven on a medium heat. Toss through the salad at the last minute so they don’t go soggy.
• Adding cheese, such as crumbled feta or shaved Parmesan, or other vegetables such as sliced fennel or fresh herbs will make it even tastier.

Prepare now, eat later

The components of the salad can be prepared a couple of hours in advance but will last longer if they are not mixed together until the last minute. Store them in separate bowls/zip seal bags and toss together with the yoghurt just before serving.