Our favourite selection of summer salads to see you through the sweltering months ahead.

1. Citrus Salad with Date Dressing

Rocket. avocado, pink grapefruit and orange on the plate.

For the dressing, boil water, add a handful of dried dates, a splash of balsamic, little bit of cinnamon, a pinch of salt and a little bit of cracked pepper. Cook until dates are soft, press through the sieve and add cooking water till you have the right consistency.

2.  Potato Salad #1

10 boiled potatoes, peeled and cubed, 2 green apples cubed, 1 red onion finely diced.

For the dressing – equal amounts of sour cream and mayo, very finely chopped parsley, mustard and black pepper to taste. Mix the dressing through the salad, and garnish with parsley.

3. Watermelon, Feta, Basil and Black Pepper.

Toss all your ingredients through.

4. Pine, Pear & Parmesan

Layer baby spinach leaves on a platter, then finely sliced pear, toasted pine nuts & crumbled Parmesan cheese with a balsamic dressing

5. ‘Cauli’slaw 

Big batches made easily with  1/2 head cauli (raw) chopped, 2-3 large carrots grated, few spring onions chopped. 1/4 cup mayo, 1/2 cup Greek yoghurt, big ol’ spoon Dijon and cider vinegar, lots of chopped dill and salt and pepper.

6. Potato Salad #2

Boiled baby potatoes, fried diced bacon (added to the potatoes while both are hot, so the spuds soak up the bacon grease!), then mayo with grated carrot, sliced blanched green beans, chopped chives, sliced hard boiled eggs, salt and pepper.

7. Cold Roasted Vegetable Couscous Salad

Whatever veg you have, dice and chuck in the oven, season with something Moroccan-esque, and pop in the oven to cook.  Pumpkin, capsicum, zucchini, parsnip, sweet potato are great veg to use.  Let veg cool when cooked then cook the couscous and toss together. It;s great warm and cold, and can be made in bulk to freeze if needed too.

8. Roast baby beetroot, blood orange, baby spinach and beet leaves, walnuts, feta, and a good splash of EVOO & balsamic.

Also great with grilled haloumi.

9. Rocket, cold roast/baked pumpkin and goats cheese/feta

Just toss them all together!

10. Baby spinach cooked pine nuts and prosciutto and chilli chopped fine and a drizzle of oil.

11. Snow Pea and Avocado Salad

Packet of snow peas finely chopped, 1 avocado diced, 1/2 spanish onion finely diced, small packet of garlic fetta finely diced, 1/2 red capsicum finely diced.  Mix altogether.  Very fresh so dressing is optional.

12. Quinoa Salad.

Sweet potato, carrot, pumpkin, red onion, roughly chopped garlic cloves (about 4 or 5) and red capsicum (but often add a few other bits and pieces in too) all marinated in olive oil and heaps of middle eastern spices, then baked at 200 degrees for about 15 minutes. Toast up some pine nuts and pistachio kernels and make a dressing of olive oil and lemon juice.

13. Moroccan Chicken Salad

Sprinkle Moroccan seasoning on chicken breasts grill them and a few slices of middle bacon.  Boil up a few eggs and let them all cool. Slice up eggs, chicken and bacon and add to some cos lettuce, spring onion and cucumber. Add some ranch dressing or mayo and serve with some Parmesan and fetta  and croutons.

14. Cauliflower “Potato” Salad

Cook florets until just tender allow to cool. Add some diced ham, cut up spring onion and celery. Add a few chopped up boiled eggs and mayo. Add some cracked pepper.

15. Green beans lightly steamed, feta, black olives, mint

16. Cucumber (loads), fresh chopped mint, red onion, butter lettuce, balsamic dressing, sun dried tomatoes and cashews.

17. Baby beets, green beans, red onion and feta with a olive oil, mustard and pepper dressing.

18. Taco Salad #1 

In a large glass bowl  finely shred lettuce & put in the bottom, then top with a couple of cans of kidney beans, then a layer of finely sliced spring onions, then a layer of chopped cherry tomatoes (regular tomatoes would be fine), then a layer of avocado slices, then a layer of medium heat salsa, then a layer of Greek style yoghurt, then finely grated cheese and crushed corn chips on top (but only put the corn chips on when you’re ready to serve or they go soggy) Serve in a glass bowl.

19. Spicy Roast pumpkin, Spinach and Feta Salad

Add pumpkin, finely chopped red onion and garlic to a bed of spinach add feta and chilli

20. Potato salad #3:

Dress cooled boiled potatoes in this vinaigrette: half mayo, half yogurt, watered down with the gherkin water that comes in a bottle of gherkins.  Toss altogether with the potatoes: chopped gherkins, spring onions, wholegrain mustard, chopped hard boiled egg, fried bacon bits, lots of  salt and pepper, and optional add in – any extra shredded greens like baby spinach.

21. Lightly steamed broccoli (cooled), halved cherry tomatoes, red onion, feta, roasted hazelnuts with mustardy dressing or just EVO and balsamic.

22. Beetroot ,with walnuts ,spinach and soy cheese with a caramelised orange and honey dressing.

23. Cold roast veg, toasted pine nuts, feta, baby spinach, and a dressing made of equal parts of soy sauce, honey, and olive oil.

24. Potato Salad #4:

2kg diced potatoes skin on. Large chunks. Mayo, paprika and curry powder – not so you can taste curry. Crushed home dried parsley leaves. Generous amount of browned diced middle bacon.

25. Pasta Salad

Curly pasta, ranch dressing, zucchini, bacon, mushroom, onion (all fried off) grated carrot and shallots mixed together.

26. Potato Salad #5:

Cut about 15 potato’s up into smallish cubes, par boil them, let them dry and go cold. Cover them in coleslaw dressing, cut up 3 onions into small slithers, and a bunch of mint! Mix all together.

27. Bacon and egg salad: 

Boil small pasta shapes in pot until cooked and allow to cool.  Fry up 4-6 bacon rashers.  Boil 4eggs.  Chop up spring onion.  Chop cherry tomatoes in half.  Grate some Parmesan cheese.  Place in large bowl with a bag of rocket  and cooked pasta.  Toss and serve with French dressing .

28. Quinoa, goats cheese, baby spinach, slivered almonds and a pomegranate (craisins if pomegranate not available) dressing.

29. Christmas salad: 

Pasta, char grilled peppers, spring onions, Persian feta and pine nuts.

30. Taco Salad #2: 

Mix salsa and sour cream (or Greek yogurt) in a shaker. Mix shredded lettuce, diced onion, diced tomatoes, and grated cheese. Mix all this together. Add a bag of crunched  corn chips right before serving.

31. Spinach and Feta Salad

Get a bunch of spinach leaves on a plate and top it with mouth sized bits of roasted pumkin that is tossed in some oil and cinnamon before cooking, warm toasted pinenuts and pumking seeds, then crumbled feta. The fetta start to melt through  and the pumkins natural sweetness comes out great because of the cinnamon.

32. Rice salad: 

2cups of cooked rice (depends how many people as to how much you use), 2 shallots, half red & green capsicum (diced), half a cup of currents, and a small packet of slivered almonds toasted sprinkled on top.  Serve with a creamy dressing.

33. Zucchini ribbons, sliced rings of red onion, cubes of fetta, finely sliced mint, chilli flakes, lemon juice and olive oil. Great on its own or with tuna

34. Roast pumpkin couscous

Add 2 Tbsp Basil pesto to the boiling water to give the couscous massive flavour.  Then add cooled diced roast pumpkin, sun dried tomato strips (and a little of the juice) rocket, currants, kidney beans and whatever else takes your fancy.

35. Fresh Green Salad

Big handfuls of baby spinach leaves, very finely chopped fresh tomato, cabbage, snow peas, green beans (in little rounds), cucumber, basil, parsley, thyme, with a balsamic and Olive Oil dressing, or 1 part Salad Cream, 1 part Light Sour Cream and 1 part water mixed up together. Add chicken to make it a meal, or feta to make it super special.

36. Baby spinach with sliced mushroom dressed with olive oil, lemon juice, S&P