One of my favourite ways to use up leftovers is to combine them all to make a delicious salad. I am a firm believer that salad’s should not be seen as boring and always feel frustrated at the negativity towards eating a salad. So often people get asked if they are on a diet should they happen to be eating a salad for lunch that day. Or even worse, many will scrunch their noses up as if a salad is something that couldn’t possibly make for a good lunch or meal. Personally I think it comes down to the fact that so many salad’s out there are in fact soggy bits of limp lettuce with a couple of bits of cucumber and tomatoes thrown in and smothered in a creamy, acidic dressing. I am often disappointed when eating out and my main says it comes with a side salad. In fact, one of my favourite Italian restaurants in Berlin, Terra Sarda, that serves up the most delicious of fish and meat and pasta dishes ends up failing on the salad front. They simply serve a bowl of lettuce, salad and cucumber that is drowning in balsamic vinegar. I never eat it. Not because I am avoiding my green’s but because it is like drinking a bottle of vinegar.
And so I like to use leftovers to create a fun and delicious salad. I always end up with a bit of leftover cheese or meat and I also make sure to roast up extra vegetables so that I can store them in the fridge for a couple of days to add to a salad for lunch. It is a cheap and healthier way to eat but still makes sure that you are getting a variety of ingredients so that you don’t become bored with the same salad every day.
Cheese and grapes are the perfect pairing, especially with blue cheese. I love the taste of the blue cheese with the sharpness yet sweet from the grapes. This is one of my favourite salad dishes and a great way to use up any leftover cheese lurking at the back of the fridge. I add a few walnuts and then some mixed salad leaves but you can throw in more or less what you like! If you are taking the salad to work then make sure to pop the dressing in a separate box so that you can pour it over the salad just before you are about to eat.
- 50g blue cheese (I just use gorgonzola in this recipe but any blue cheese works well)
- 150g seedless red grapes (halved)
- 2 large handfuls of lambs lettuce
- Small handful of rocket (roughly torn)
- 25g walnuts
- Black Pepper
- Olive oil
- Juice of half a lemon
- 1 tspn dijon mustard
- Heat a frying pan (without any oil) and once hot add the walnuts. Toast for just a couple of minutes.
- Evenly distribute the lambs lettuce and rocket between two plates. Crumble over the blue cheese and then add the grapes. Scatter the walnuts on top.
- In a small mixing bowl mix together 50ml olive oil, juice of half a lemon and the dijon mustard. Add a bit of black pepper. Then pour over the salad when ready to eat.
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