I have a nice dressing
What I make when . . .
FOOD
Inspiration for these recipes comes from Mum, who recently put together a green salad dressed with a creamy dressing which was the basis for the one below.
It is wonderful generously spooned over all sorts of dishes, and it will make even the vegans in your life happy, hough both accompanying recipes would be delicious served with a bit of shaved parmesan or crumbled feta cheese!
Creamy cashew basil dressing
Makes 1 cups Preparation: 5 minutes Cooking: nil 1 cup/150g cashew nuts (raw) cup lemon juice cup olive oil 1 clove garlic
teaspoon honey 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard cup basil leaves cup mint leaves Put all the ingredients into a food processor or blender, season well with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, and process until smooth.
Alternatively use a stick blender.
Store in an airtight container in the fridge.
If the dressing is too thick then add water, bit-by-bit, to thin it down to the desired consistency.
New potato, asparagus & avocado salad
Serves 4-6 Preparation: 15 minutes Cooking: 14 minutes 400g new season baby potatoes 250g asparagus, cut into 4 on the diagonal
250g beans, cut into two on the diagonal
1 spring onion, finely sliced on the diagonal
cup creamy cashew basil dressing 1 avocado, cubed
Put the potatoes into a saucepan, cover with water, bring to the boil, then cook for 10 minutes or until the potatoes are cooked through. Remove from the heat, drain, and put into a large salad bowl.
Put the asparagus into a small saucepan with a small amount of water (really, you’re almost steaming them), bring to the boil then cook for two minutes.
You want the asparagus to retain their crunch so be careful not to overcook them.
Remove from the saucepan, drain, and run under cold water to stop them cooking, before adding them to the potatoes.
Put the beans into a small saucepan with a small amount of water, and as with the asparagus bring to the boil and cook for two minutes until lightly cooked and still crunchy. Remove from the heat, drain, and run under cold water before adding them in with the potatoes and asparagus and the spring onion.
Pour over the dressing, and gently mix to combine before lastly adding the avocado and giving it one more quick mix before serving. 2 tablespoon olive oil 1 onion, finely chopped 4 cloves garlic, finely sliced 250g asparagus, cut finely on the diagonal 1 cup peas (I used frozen) 100g spaghetti, cooked as per packet instructions 100g kale, finely shredded 400g zucchini
cup creamy cashew basil dressing Basil or mint leaves to garnish
In a heavy-bottomed frying pan heat the olive oil and, over a medium heat, fry the onion and garlic for 10 minutes or so until it begins to stick to the bottom of the pan. Remove from the heat and set aside. Put the asparagus into a bowl, along with the peas, cover with boiling water and let sit for two minutes before draining and putting into a large serving bowl with the onion/garlic mixture, spaghetti, and the kale.
To make the zucchini noodles, (if you don’t have a tool that does it) lie a box grater on its side with coarse side up and, using long strokes, grate the zucchini to form long noodles. Add this to the bowl along with the other vegetables, pour over the dressing, mix well to combine, and garnish with basil or mint leaves. If it all needs loosening up a bit then add a splash or two of water. This pasta dish is eaten warm and is delicious with the addition of avocado. Recipes, food styling, and photography by EmmaBoyd.