Anything Goes Salad with Blueberry Dressing

Salad can be a delicious, colourful, crunchy combination of vegetables, fruit, nuts and seeds, cheese and even meat or fish. Adding the blueberries and blueberry dressing gives a surprising and delicious twist to this crunchy salad.

Ingredients

Salad
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
40g of fresh blueberries (optional)

Blueberry dressing
150g of natural low-fat yogurt
1 x 15ml spoon honey
100g of fresh blueberries
1 x 15ml spoon lemon juice

Equipment

Weighing scales
Saucepan
Large mixing bowl x 2
Chopping board
Sharp knife
Slotted spoon
Small bowl
Measuring spoons
Salad spinner (optional)
Kitchen roll
Teaspoon
Can opener
Colander
Large spoons
Food processor or hand blender
Serving dish (optional)

Instructions

Salad

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 French beans and cut in half. Blanch them along with the peas and refresh them as above. You may need to change the cold water.
5. 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.
6. Wash the lettuce in plenty of cold water. Tear the leaves into bite-sized pieces and dry in a salad spinner or use kitchen roll. Place in the large mixing bowl.
7. Wash, then 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 the bowl.
8. Carefully move the onions to the large bowl, reserving the vinegar in the small bowl.
9. 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.
10. 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 using the colander, pat dry with kitchen roll and add to the salad.
11. Transfer the avocado to the salad and add the blueberries.

Blueberry dressing

1. Place of the blueberry dressing ingredients into a food process and purée till smooth.
2. Spoon over the salad.
3. Using clean hands or large spoons, toss the salad until it’s well combined and transfer to your serving dish.

Skills used include:
Washing, weighing, measuring, peeling, chopping, mixing/combining and serving.

Top Tips

• When left, the yogurt dressing will solidify slightly, just combine with a metal spoon to relax the dressing to a pouring consistency.
• To add protein to this dish, you could add lean skinless cooked chicken, chickpeas, beans or pulses.
• Blueberries from Chile are in season from January – March, and British Blueberries are in season from June – September.

Something to try next time

• Fruit in salad provides a natural sweetness that makes a lovely healthy addition. You could use any berries, dried or fresh, apples, peaches or pears.

Prepare now, eat later

• If preparing the salad in advance, just leave the dressing to the last minute before coating.