9. Greek salad
Master this absolute classic and you’ll never be short of a delicious lunch. The key to an authentic Greek flavour is plenty of oregano and red wine vinegar.
Ingredients
- 1 cucumber
- ½ small red onion, thinly sliced
- 4 vine tomatoes, cut into chunks
- 20 kalamata olives, pitted
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tsp red wine vinegar
- 100g feta, crumbled
- a few pinches dried oregano
- to serve (optional) crusty bread
Method
- STEP 1
Cut the cucumber in half lengthways, scrape out the seeds then cut into thick slices.
- STEP 2
Put the cucumber slices in a large shallow bowl with the onion, tomatoes and olives. Whisk together the oil and vinegar, and season. Pour most over the salad and gently toss. Add the feta, drizzle over the rest of the dressing, then sprinkle over the oregano. Serve with crusty bread, if you like.
10. Quick Japanese-style rice salad
Take just 15 minutes out of your day to make this super-fast, low-calorie lunch. Use ready-cooked or leftover rice for a clever time-saving hack, then mix with fresh king prawns, crunchy cucumber, avocado and edamame beans. Top with a sesame and rice vinegar dressing to bring everything together.
Ingredients
- 250g cooked basmati rice
- 150g cooked peeled king prawns
- ¼ cucumber, diced
- 2 spring onions, chopped
- 50g edamame beans, defrosted if frozen
- 6 radishes, chopped
- ½ avocado, diced
- to serve (optional) black sesame seeds
DRESSING
- 2 tbsp rice vinegar
- 1 tbsp toasted sesame oil
- 1 tbsp mirin
- chopped to make 1 tbsp pickled ginger
Method
- STEP 1
Whisk the dressing ingredients together in a small bowl.
- STEP 2
If using a pouch, heat the rice following pack instructions then tip into a bowl and break up. Cool until just-warm, add half the dressing and toss.
- STEP 3
Add the prawns and veg, and toss again. Divide between two plates and spoon over the rest of the dressing. Sprinkle with sesame seeds to finish, if you like.
