[Recipe] Three simple summer salads

This is a guest post from 1 Million Women community member Emerald McGuire-Febey. If you'd like to share a recipe with 1 Million Women email it to bindi@1millionwomen.com.au

With summer on our doorstep there is nothing better than spending less time in the kitchen so you can get outside and enjoy the beautiful weather. The following are three light and fresh salads that won't cost the earth! They are easy to make and will leave you satisfied, but most importantly you can adapt the amounts or types of ingredients to what you have in your house so that you use all your fresh food and none goes to waste!

Waldorf Salad

1 apple

1 orange, peeled

2-3 sticks of celery

Small handful of hazelnuts

1 lime

Dice the apple, orange and celery and combine in a bowl. Chop the hazelnuts and sprinkle on top. Instead of the traditional mayonnaise a squeeze of fresh lime juice is all the dressing this salad needs, you can even add a few mint leaves if you like. Simple!

Roast Balsamic Vegetables

This is an excellent way to use veggies up before they go bad. By making a bulk lot at the end of the week you can store portions in the fridge ready as a side or standalone salad for mid-week!

An assortment of vegetables ( potato, parsnip, butternut pumpkin, capsicum, zucchini, mushrooms, carrot and sweet potato)

2 handfuls of Rocket

4 Tablespoons Balsamic vinegar

1 ½ Tablespoons coconut sugar

Preheat your oven to 200^oC. Roughly dice the vegetables into 3-4cm cubes, place on a roasting tray and bake for 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and sprinkle over the vinegar and sugar, mix everything around in the tray so the vegetables are evenly coated. Return to the oven for a further 20-30 minutes until they are beautifully golden brown. Serve with a side of rocket. This tastes awesome hot or cold!

NB: I never peel my butternut when I am roasting it, it saves needless food waste and tastes great.

Couscous Salad

¼ Cup couscous

3 spears asparagus

150g cherry tomatoes

2 Tablespoons pistachios

2 Tablespoons of currants

Small Lebanese cucumber

A few sprigs of dill

Dice the cucumber and tomatoes and thinly slice the asparagus diagonally. Place the couscous in a bowl and add enough boiled water from the kettle to form a thin layer over the granules. Allow this to sit for 4-5 minutes so that the water can be fully absorbed. Whisk the couscous with a fork to break it up and make it fluffy. Combine all the ingredients together in the bowl, add a squeeze of lemon juice or drizzle of your favourite oil if desired and enjoy!

What is your favourite way to prepare seasonal summer produce? Let us know in the comments sections below. If you'd like to suggest a recipe send an email to bindi@1millionwomen.com.au

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