Green Salad with Fruits & Nuts in a Honey-Yoghurt Dressing

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After I got the hang of the olive oil, lemon juice, yoghurt & mustard dressing, I started experimenting with something different. This time I made a salad with fruits & nuts with a honey based dressing - loved the slightly sweet dressing with the grapefruit & olives. The carrot is only there because I had one lying around so I just tossed it in the salad, but wouldn't recommend adding it otherwise.

Fresh Salad with Fruits & Nuts with Honey based dressing 

Salad Ingredients:
2-3 cups of Lettuce (Mesclun or any variety you prefer)
1/4 cup of Rocket/Arugula
¼ cup of baby spinach
1 large grapefruit
1 orange (optional – I used it because the grapefruit I had was small)
Olives – 2 to 3 tbsp
¼ cup – ½ cup walnuts, toasted

Dressing:
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp honey
2 tbsp yoghurt
1 tbsp vinegar
1 tbsp lemon juice
salt & pepper

1. Blend the ingredients for the salad dressing in a blender for 30 seconds till it is creamy. Alternatively you can add all the ingredients and whisk for about a minute. Taste & adjust seasonings if required. 

2. Dry roast nuts in a skillet for about 3-5 minutes over medium heat till they are aromatic. Keep shaking the pan so they don't burn. Alternatively, you can toast them in a toaster oven.
3. Take a big salad bowl and add lettuce leaves, baby spinach & rocket/arugula. You can increase/decrease the quantity of the specific type of salad green based on personal preference.
4. Add fruits & olives to the salad leaves and lightly toss with about 2-3 tbsp of the dressing. Taste and add more dressing if required
5. Chop & crush the nuts then add as garnish on top of the salad.  
If you want to save the salad for the next day, then add the salad dressing individually into your plate otherwise the salad will start wilting once the dressing is added.

Playing Around:

1. Fruits: Substitute the apple for pear 

2. Citrus: Substitute the oranges for Mosambi or Grapefruit

3. Vegetables: Olives, capsicum, carrots or broccoli can be added/substituted

4. Protein: Add grilled paneer, grilled chicken or feta cheese to make it more filling

5. Nuts: Add sliced toasted almonds, peanuts Toast some nuts in a dry skillet and crush & sprinkle on top

Read up on my other Salad 101 blog posts below:

Salad 101 - Cleaning & Storing Greens

Salad 101 -Tossing Greens & Adding the Salad Dressing
Salad 101 - Types of Salad Greens
Salad 101 - The Basic Salad Dressing

Where to get Salad Greens in Karachi:

Sungold Organic – Home delivery of Organic Vegetables

Email at Sungoldorganic@gmail.com

Sungold number, 0342-2382731, 0345-2008247:
Growing your Own – Seeds available from Crops in Pots & available from Mom’s Garden

Gardening Help – SWOT’s Guide to House and Gardens & My Kitchen Garden Project

Shops – Assortment of vegetables can be found from Agha’s, Farids, Hyperstar, Empress Market, Defence Sunday Bazaar, & a ‘Sabzi Wala’ near French Bakery at Khadda Market

Reference Books:

How to Cook Everything (Completely Revised 10th Anniversary Edition
The New Best Recipe by Cooks Illustrated Magazine

Leafy Green Salad with Apples & Tomatoes

So now that everyone is updated on what I haven't been posting for the last couple of weeks, let me start catching up by continuing my Salad 101 posts. I have covered How-to's on Cleaning & Storing Salad Greens, Types of Salad Greens & Tossing and Adding the Dressing. Now I will FINALLY be sharing the recipes :D .. 

Since I embarked on this salad making journey, I have been experimenting with various types of greens, fruits, dressings & seasonings, and have finally achieved the balance that my family loves.

My basic rule is that salad greens will form the base of the salad, along with some fruit to provide the sweetness, along with some citrus  to provide tang. Other vegetables can be added to make the salad more filling, nuts can be added for crunch, and proteins like chicken & cottage cheese can be added to make it more of a main course than a salad. 

Fresh Salad Greens with Apples & Tomatoes

Leafy Salad Green with Apples & Tomato

Salad Ingredients:
3-4 cups of Shredded/Cut Mild Greens (Mesclun Lettuce/Mixed Salad Greens or Chinese Cabbage)
1/4 cup of Rocket/Arugula
1/4 cup of Baby Spinach
Fresh Herbs (Basil, Parsley, Oregano) - 10 to 12 leaves, roughly chopped
1 Apple - cut into slices
1 Tomato - cut into wedges
1-2 Oranges - cut into segments

Dressing:
1 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp yoghurt
1 tbsp vinegar
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp mustard
salt & pepper
sumac (optional)Note: The dressing is also not a typical vinaigrette - I reduced the olive oil & added yoghurt for some creaminess. 

1. Toss the fruit (apples & oranges) with some lemon juice. 

2. Blend the ingredients for the salad dressing in a blender for 30 seconds till it is creamy. Alternatively you can add all the ingredients and whisk for about a minute. Taste & adjust seasonings if required. 
3. Take a big salad bowl and add salad greens, baby spinach & rocket/arugula. You can increase/decrease the quantity of the specific type of salad green based on personal preference.
4.Toss the salad greens together with 2 tbsp of the dressing. Adjust and add more dressing if required.
5. Add apples, carrots & oranges. Add 1 tbsp of the dressing and lightly toss. 
6.Garnish with tomatoes.

If you want to save the salad for the next day, then add the salad dressing individually into your plate otherwise the salad will start wilting once the dressing is added.

Playing Around:

1. Fruits: Substitute the apple for pear 

2. Citrus: Substitute the oranges for Mosambi or Grapefruit

3. Vegetables: Olives, capsicum, carrots or broccoli can be added/substituted

4. Protein: Add grilled paneer, grilled chicken or feta cheese to make it more filling

5. Crunch: Toast some nuts in a dry skillet and crush & sprinkle on top

Read up on my other Salad 101 blog posts below:

Salad 101 - Cleaning & Storing Greens

Salad 101 -Tossing Greens & Adding the Salad Dressing
Salad 101 - Types of Salad Greens
Salad 101 - The Basic Salad Dressing

Where to get Salad Greens in Karachi:

Sungold Organic – Home delivery of Organic Vegetables

Email at Sungoldorganic@gmail.com

Sungold number, 0342-2382731, 0345-2008247:
Growing your Own – Seeds available from Crops in Pots & available from Mom’s Garden

Gardening Help – SWOT’s Guide to House and Gardens & My Kitchen Garden Project

Shops – Assortment of vegetables can be found from Agha’s, Farids, Hyperstar, Empress Market, Defence Sunday Bazaar, & a ‘Sabzi Wala’ near French Bakery at Khadda Market

Reference Books:

How to Cook Everything (Completely Revised 10th Anniversary Edition
The New Best Recipe by Cooks Illustrated Magazine

Update! Menu for Ordering

Hello Everyone!

I know its been a while since I posted recipes, but on immense popular demand, I started taking orders for a few items. MashAllah I am getting an amazing response and thats pretty much why I don't get any time to blog lately. There's the 9-5 pm job, then the office homework, then the taking orders & planning them out, then thinking and experimenting with future menu items, and let's not forget the actual cooking :).

However, just in case anyone thinks I am superhuman, let me clarify right now that I am not doing this alone, but together with my family (mom, dad, me, chacha, chachi) and everyone is contributing something to the menu or helping out with the business idea. 

I am going to continue with my recipes on the blog, but for those interested in the menu, its uploaded on the blog and is also updated on my Facebook page. Currently, there's a range of pickles/achaar's including some common ones like Gaajar ka Achaar (Pickled carrots in a tangy vinegar base) to new ones like Baighan ka Aachar (Eggplant Pickle) & Tamatar Shimla Mirch Aachar (Tomato & Capsicum Pickle). There are also winter favourites like Sarsoon ka Saag & Gaajar ka Halwa. For the future there will be a separate Dessert menu & a Savory menu (Desi + Continental). 

But don't worry - will start posting recipes tomorrow :)

For those who would like to try out stuff that I make, please do order and let me know if there are any suggestions for the menu :). 

Kay's House of Treats - Menu