I mentioned recently that having had a wonderful family holiday which involved much eating and drinking (though to be fair there was a lot of walking too) I was starting to think more carefully about my diet.
I love salads so I never mind that aspect of watching my weight; my cousins refer to what I do as ‘one of Lois’s specials’ because to them I seem to add odd things to my salad dishes. Gone are the days of a few lettuce leaves on a plate, a couple of quarters of tomato, some spring onion, cucumber and pickled beetroot. Yes I have leaves, and yes there are usually lettuce among them because I like lettuce and I adore watercress and mustard and cress, but there are usually other things, and not just ‘new’ fashionable leaves like rocket or mizuna. I might chuck in shredded cabbage (any cabbage) root vegetable leaves if they are young and lovely, celery leaves, outside of cauliflowers… anything green and crisp, or red in the case of chard, red cabbage, beetroot…
Vegetables, salad vegetables, all the usual can be found in my salads, red/yellow/orange/green peppers pointy or otherwise, onion, leek, cucumber, radishes… oh lots of things, whatever is to hand. I also like cauliflower florets, quartered Brussels sprouts… I’m sure there are other things which I often use but which have slipped my mind.
Fruit… this is what my cousins enjoy but think very odd, that I add fruit to salads… particularly apples and grapes, but today I had some pineapple. There is nothing nicer than to add nuts and seeds too, small cubes of cheese… really, anything goes! The addition of fruit gives a piquancy and a sweetness, complimenting the sometimes bitter leaves, and contrasting with the other ingredients in texture as well as flavour.
So lunch time… I think I’ll add an avocado to the salad I made earlier!
Lois Elsden 