I can’t think of anything more delightful than a salad to celebrate the summer season. But the UK being what is, how about something a little different? Our weather isn’t always great, so how about some of these warm salad recipes.

I find nothing more disappointing than a lacklustre salad though. If we’re making a salad, especially a warm one, I want it to knock it out the park.

Warm salads are a great way for you to get vitamins and nutrients into your diet. Although cold salads are good and refreshing, a warm salad resonates differently. The heat of a warm salad amalgamates the flavours while bringing you a satisfactory meal. With endless combinations, regardless of your preference: meat eater, pescetarian, vegan etc, a warm salad is good for all.

We’ve put together five best warm salad recipes that are super easy to make at home.

Japanese enoki warm salad with sesame dressing

Enoki (or えのき) is a Japanese term for a long thin mushroom. They are very popular in East Asian cuisines and are easy to cook. This is a hearty vegan salad, with oodles of protein-packed noodles.

Ingredients

150g enoki mushrooms
1 finely chopped clove garlic
Cooking oil (any you think best fits)
1 chopped leek
1 chopped spring onion
Grated carrot
Grated cucumber
Chopped coriander leaves
Sesame sauce
White sesame seeds to decorate (optional)

Method

Cut off the base of the enoki mushrooms (you can do this by using a knife or scissors). In a pan, heat your oil and add your garlic and cook for around a minute. Place your enoki mushrooms into the pan and stir while letting it sauté.
In a separate pan, add your grated and chopped vegetables together. Then stir-fry together. Place the Enoki mushrooms and the stir-fried vegetables together and serve in a bowl.

Drizzle sesame sauce over the warm salad, then sprinkle white sesame seeds to decorate. Sit back and enjoy the blended flavours!

I recommend adding bonito flakes to this dish to enhance the taste further (obviously not if you’re vegan!).

Read more: Five of the best salad dressings

Warm chicken salad with feta cheese

Did you know that having chicken in your diet can help strengthen bones and has vitamins and minerals that help the brain function. It is also a good source of protein and collagen, and is well-suited to warm salads. If you’re vegetarian, consider swapping out the chicken for griddled peaches, warm beetroot, and nuts.

Ingredients

2 chicken breasts
Mixed salad leaves
1 red pepper
A handful of red cherry tomatoes
1 red onion
Black and green olives
100g feta cheese
Dried oregano
Rosemary

Method

Start by cutting the chicken into small chunks then drizzle cooking oil over the chicken breasts. Place them into the oven and let it roast for 20-25 minutes or until done.

Chop your red pepper, red onion, cherry tomatoes and olives then place them in a pan, along with the mixed salad leaves and fry to however long you think they need. Set aside and wait for the chicken to be cooked.

Once the chicken is ready to be eaten, toss the cooked chicken chunks and vegetables into whatever bowl you like to combine.

Crumble the feta cheese on top, accompanied with dried oregano and rosemary for seasoning, and you have created a yummy warm chicken salad with feta cheese.

Warm rice vermicelli noodle salad with sweet chilli sauce

This recipe is inspired by Thai cuisine. Vermicelli noodles are gluten-free and go
exquisitely with salads, intertwining with the chilli sauce which adds a richness to a warm salad.

Ingredients

2 large carrot
2 spring onions
1 cucumber
1 red cabbage
Edamame
Black sesame seeds (optional)
Sweet chilli sauce

Method

Cook the rice vermicelli noodles by following the package directions. They normally require 2-3 minutes to cook. Then set aside.

Peel your two large carrots and cucumber into thin strips, using a peeler (a knife can be used also). Next, shred the red cabbage into thin pieces and chop up the spring onion.

Sauté your vegetables by putting them into a frying pan. Then add the edamame, and cook for about 2-3 minutes, or however long you think they should be cooked for.

Assemble your warm salad, by combining the rice vermicelli noodles and cooked vegetables and thoroughly mix.

Accompany the salad with sweet chilli sauce and decorate with black sesame seeds by sprinkling them on top.

Warm salmon salad

Are you a lover of fish? A pescatarian? Then this salad is a game changer. Adding salmon to your salad is a good way of getting your omega-3 fatty acids which are known to reduce triglycerides and lower blood pressure.

Ingredients

2 salmon fillets
250g beetroot
250g tenderstem broccoli
90g watercress
250g asparagus
250g trimmed green beans
2 spring onions

Method

Firstly, cook your salmon. You can do this by using a frying pan, air fryer or putting it in the oven and letting it cook for 10 – 15 minutes. Or until the salmon can be flaked when cutting it open by using a fork.

While the salmon is cooking, chop the tenderstem broccoli, asparagus, beetroot and spring onions. Add to a frying pan to stir-fry. Combine the watercress and green beans to the pan and cook for about 3-5 minutes.

Once you think your vegetables are cooked, add to a bowl of your choice and set aside.

After the salmon is cooked, take it out of the oven and let it cool for about five minutes. Then cut the salmon into small pieces. Add the cut salmon to the stir-fried vegetables, give it a shake, and you have yourself a warm salmon salad.

For the dressing… you can pick! Some suggestions are squeezed lemon, garlic butter, or soy sauce, which is my personal recommendation.

Warm Asian tofu salad

For those who are non-meat eaters, it can sometimes be hard to find recipes that will help you get your daily protein intake. This warm tofu salad is a great way for you to bump up your protein intake, while making a dish that is equally delicious. Great news for vegans, who will love this one!

Ingredients

Tofu
1 red cabbage
2 carrots
A handful of green beans
Mushrooms
Chilli sauce
Sesame oil and soy sauce
Garlic powder
Black sesame seeds (optional)

Method

First step, prepare the tofu. Combine chilli sauce, sesame oil, and soy sauce with a sprinkle of garlic powder into a bowl and mix. Cut your tofu however you desire; small chunks, in blocks, etc. Then marinate the tofu.

Once marinated, toss the tofu into a heated pan and fry for about five or so minutes.

Add the cabbage, carrots, green beans, and mushrooms into a frying pan, and stir-fry for about three minutes.

Once you think the tofu and vegetables are ready to eat, place them in a large bowl and toss them gently to combine. Dot some black sesame seeds around the warm salad, then enjoy.

Elena Harris

Elena is one of Silver’s interns. She has a love for illustrating, reading, and all things media-related. She is a self-proclaimed coffee connoisseur who spends her free time in coffee shops sketching and journalling.

The post Five of our favourite warm salad recipes appeared first on Silver Magazine.

It might be raining (a lot) but it’s still summer, and that means salad, come rain or shine! But give your salad some dressing love and it will be far more than the sum of its parts. We put a shout out to some of our readers for their favourite dressings. And so here, tried and tested by our Silver readers, is a round-up of their best salad dressings.

What you put in your salad is up to you. There are a million different permutations, but for a dressing to work properly, it needs some specific components. You need an good oil, for the base. You need an acid to balance that heaviness out, like vinegar, or citrus, for example. Some kind of emulsifier will help to bind the oil and acid together, like mustard, honey, egg yolk etc. And finally, your creative aspects, the extras. Could be garlic, herbs, spices, honey, and so on.

Stick with that formula and you can’t really go wrong.

When making your dressing, don’t skimp on the oil quality. While oils make those sometimes-bland leafy greens taste better, they are also full of healthy fats which help you to better absorb the nutrition of your salad greens. Plus, oils can be beneficial to your skin and hair, act as an afternoon pick-me-up by increasing your energy levels and reduce inflammation.

A simple classic

Ingredients

Olive oil
Lemon juice
Salt
Black pepper

Did you know that olive oil is not just a flavoursome oil for salads, but one that is healthy for your heart? And if you splash out on extra virgin olive oil, that has a high level of antioxidants to keep your cells protected from damage.

Roz Bacchus recommends this super easy salad dressing that spruces up anything you throw together from the fridge. Measure out the ingredients judging by however much you require. First lots of olive oil, half a lemon is usually enough for the juice, and then season with salt and pepper. Put this all in a little pot with a lid and shake! Taste, add any extra you think is missing, then pour over and enjoy. You could swap out the lemon with white or red wine vinegar if you prefer.

The best creamy tahini dressing recipe

Ingredients

Tahini
Lemon juice
Garlic
Ginger
Maple syrup
Olive oil
Sea salt flakes

Sarah Olivier has the perfect recipe if you fancy a little more pizzazz. This nutty tahini dressing is a lovely healthy source of fat. Made from hulled sesame seeds, oil and salt, tahini is highly nutritious. It contains a variety of vitamins and minerals, is rich in anti-inflammatories and antioxidants, and some studies have shown it may decrease the risk of heart disease and type 2 diabetes.

A teaspoon or two of tahini goes a long way. Squeeze half a lemon over and crush your garlic. Finely grate the ginger and finish off with a splash of maple syrup and stir it all together with a fork or tiny whisk. Add a drop of cold water here or there for consistency. Season with salt and pepper if you like. Or leave it be and enjoy.

A taste of Asia

Ingredients

Soy sauce
Ginger
Orange juice
Garlic salt

Did you know that the Japanese word umami is one of the five basic tastes? As well as sweet, sour, salty, and bitter sensations. Umami is commonly considered ‘savoury’, but it is also described as ‘meaty’, ‘complex’, or even just ‘deliciousness’.

Roy Bacchus recommends these ingredients if you fancy some of that deliciousness. Just take two 2 tbsp of soy sauce, finely grate the ginger, squeeze over half a ripe orange and add a sprinkle of garlic salt. If you want to go the extra mile, you could even add 1 tbsp of sesame oil and a splash of rice vinegar.

Bringing restaurant quality to you

Ingredients

Toasted walnut oil
Apple cider vinegar
Mustard
Salt
Pepper

Hilary Stringer says that the key to the best salad dressings is the quality of the oil and vinegar. Better quality oil will be thicker in texture and much more flavourful, so it is worth spending a little extra for a more lavish tasting experience.

Her recipe is restaurant-worthy and mixes toasted walnut oil with a very good apple cider vinegar for a multitude of health benefits. Hilary recommends a touch of light mustard, salt, and pepper to finish.

Read more: Have you been thinking about how to eat more healthily?

This one packs a punch

Ingredients

Chilli oil
Lemon juice
Sea salt
Tarragon

Finally, we couldn’t miss Mandie Brame’s tarragon hit. An often-underrated herb, it has a slight anise or liquorice flavour to it. We love her recommendation of chilli oil as a spicy alternative to the humble olive, and it is balanced out with the acidity of the lemon juice. Sprinkle with sea salt and then add 2 tsp of dried tarragon (although if you have it fresh, even better). Bon appetit!

And we must finish with a shout out to Carole Preston, who recommends the dark horse that is pomegranate molasses for a little sweet and sour kick.

Beth Pratt

Beth is one of Silver’s interns. She loves reading and studying literature. Entering her final year of university, Beth still finds time to dance, swim, and have a pint with friends. Her favourite hobby is going to coffee shops, if you can call it a hobby!

The post 5 of the best salad dressings appeared first on Silver Magazine.