Asian Style Adzuki Bean Salad with Hot Smoked Salmon

Have you ever wondered what to make when you have several guests and they all have different dietary needs? There are so many allergies and preferences that everyone has these days that it can make it tricky to feed a crowd. Here is the solution and it is absolutely delicious.

So this salad is vegan, gluten free and dairy free. I do serve it with hot smoked salmon in it but you can just serve the salmon on the side if you have guests who don’t eat fish. If you can’t get hot smoked salmon than freshly grilled bit of salmon would be lovely too.

This recipe serves 4 – as you can see from the photo I posted with this recipe I didn’t use the rice noodles and I added steamed leaks. I am big on using things up and so you can really put anything in this salad, if you don’t feel like steaming the veggies then do them raw & thinly sliced. I do like the crunch of fresh cos lettuce instead of spinach sometimes too.

Dressing

½ cup of Lime Juice

¼ cup Soy sauce

4 tablespoons sesame oil

2 tablespoons maple syrup

1 small shallot finely chopped

Pinch of sea salt and freshly ground pepper

The Salad

Top tip: Adzuki beans are not hard to come buy but they certainly aren’t stocked our highland groceries stores, buy them dried, they are cheaper and soak the night before when you need them.

1 cup of cooked adzuki beans (⅓ cup dried)

1-2 sliced roasted red pepper from a jar

Lightly Steam the following (you can play around with the veggies, this salad is great for using things up)

Large handful of purple sprouting broccoli or half a head of broccoli cut, sugar snap peas, baby corn

200 grams of spinach (after steaming squeeze out the liquid and chop to make tossing it into the salad easier)

200 grams of vermicelli rice noodles (cook and then run under cold water and leave to drain well – some rice noodles and very long so sometimes I will cut them with scissors to make them easier to mix in)

To Serve

Mix all your salad ingredients in a big serving bowl and then toss in the dressing but don’t let it sit dressed for too long before serving.

Depending on how you are serving this you could break the fish up and scatter on top of the salad or serve it on a separate dish.

Garnish

Tablespoon each of toasted black onion seeds and sesame seeds

and/or

Finely chopped spring onions

Grilled Green Bean, Courgette & Shallot Salad

I love grilled vegetables in my salads and recently my sister suggested using green beans which I have to admit I would have never considered but we had a big crowd and a big bunch of beans that needed using up. If you have read some of my previous posts you will also know I love roasted garlic and that is what makes up the dressing of this delicious summer dish.

I recommend using a cast iron griddle pan to make this dish, you don’t want to loose your green beans in the BBQ. The roast garlic doesn’t take long in the oven but it something you can make ahead and you can roast several bulbs as before you know there will so many things you want to add roasted garlic to such as Romesco Sauce, Garlic Mayo, Cesar Salad dressing… trust me the list goes on.

INGREDIENTS

2 large courgettes cut into 1.5 cm oval slices

As many green beans as you can hold in two hands, topped

5 shallots skinned and sliced in thick rings

For the Dressing

1 bulb of roasted garlic

1/4 cup of olive oil

Optional – handful of parsley or two sprigs of rosemary leaves picked (these impart very different flavours but both work well.

METHOD

Get you griddle pan heating up and start slicing your courgette, lay the pieces on a plate and brush with olive oil. Put the oiled side down on the griddle pan and then brush the side facing up before you flip them. I like my courgette to be warmed through but still have a bite so just 2-3 minutes each side on a hot pan. If things are burning then adjust your heat. You can put them whole into the salad bowl or slice them. Then then griddle your onions and beans. Once everything is grilled toss together with the dressing and add salt and pepper to taste.

This makes a great side dish or a wonderful lunch on grilled sourdough bread with herby cheese spread.

Simple Slaw

We love cole slaw around here and warm days bring back the craving for quick refreshing food for lunch. If you think that you don’t like cole slaw but have only ever bought it from a shop then at least try this once because it is a completely different experience. One of the things I hate the most about a store bought cole slaw is the mayo to veg ratio so you will find my recipe to be lighter and more flavour focused. So here is a fast easy recipe that will be enjoyed with any summer BBQ, leftover cold meat or as a great picnic side.

Ingredients

2 medium carrots grated

Half a sweetheart cabbage thinly sliced

Large handful of coriander roughly chopped

1/2 tablespoon of toasted blank onion/nigella seeds

For the dressing

1/2 a lime squeezed

1 tablespoon of mayonnaise

1 tablespoon of Greek yogurt

Salt and pepper

Method

I like to make my dressing in a bowl and then pour over but if you are trying to use less dishes then just put it all in a bowl a mix.

If you don’t have lime you could always use vinegar, I would go for a tablespoon of apple cider vinegar for this recipe.

Slaw is usually best when it has sat for at least 20 minutes to let the veggies soften. The thing I really love about it is that you can put anything in. I will be posting more slaw recipes as the summer goes on with a variety of delightful combinations. Watch this space!