Who’s ready for another of Sal’s store-cupboard cook-ins? Slimming World’s culinary whizz has been keeping slimmers going through lockdown with her series of cook-along recipe videos, transforming simple ingredients into tasty meals to help you stay on track with your weight loss goals.
Classic spag bol, a vegetarian chilli, easy chicken curry, ‘anything goes’ frittata, leftover roast chicken fajitas, chilli con carne and zesty salmon pasta are the dishes Sal has already served up from her sister’s kitchen (with a little help from her nieces-turned-camerawomen). This week, we bring you a superb salad recipe that’s perfect for enjoying in the sunshine.
On the menu this week is Sal’s oriental green salad and coleslaw. Sal tells us more…
“This oriental green salad is an adaptation of the sunshine salad that I made on the Slimming World golden bus tour last year. I talked a lot about the coleslaw during the tour, too, as it goes great with the salad and it’s really easy to put together. This is exactly how I make it at home.
“I think people often get stuck in a rut with salad, doing the same thing every time – and if you get bored of what you’re eating, you’re more likely to veer off track with your weight loss. You eat with your eyes as well as your mouth and this recipe has lots of colourful, crunchy veggies that are enticing, and they make an exciting change from the usual lettuce, cucumber and tomatoes.
“Trying new recipes (I like to make a different dish every week) and varying your meals is a fantastic way to stay excited about following the Slimming World eating plan, so it’s great to have a few salad ideas that you love and can rotate – and this oriental green salad is definitely one of my favourites!”
Sal’s top oriental green salad and coleslaw tips
- Instead of throwing away the broccoli stems and stalks, peel and chop them into batons and cook with the florets.
- Use a speed/swivel peeler to make the courgette ribbons, and remember to go back and forth rather than in one direction, as it speeds things up.
- And don’t throw away the inner part of the courgette – you can use it in a stir-fry later!
- If you roll the lemon on the chopping board with your hand or pop it in the microwave for 10-15 seconds, it will release more juice.
- Dissolve the mustard powder in the vinegar before adding the yogurt so that it blends more easily.
- This recipe is really versatile, so if you don’t have an orange or lemon use limes or a grapefruit. No white wine vinegar? Try cider vinegar or red wine vinegar.
- You could also substitute a tablespoon of the soy sauce for Thai fish sauce for a greater depth of flavour (although this isn’t suitable for vegetarians).
- For the dressing, use light reduced-salt soy sauce, as dark soy will make everything sludgy in colour – and dress the salad at the last minute before serving, so everything remains fresh and crunchy.
Sal’s oriental green salad and coleslaw
serves 4
1 Syn per serving
ready in 35 minutes
Oriental green salad
What you need:
1 head of broccoli, cut into florets
250g French beans, trimmed
200g sugar snap peas
1 nest/sheet dried egg noodles
handful of rocket
1 courgette, grated, shredded or peeled into ribbons
200g radishes, sliced
1 small red onion, chopped
For the dressing:
3 tbsp reduced-salt light soy sauce
½ tsp ground ginger
zest and juice of 1 lemon
zest and juice of half an orange
What you do:
1. Blanch the broccoli, beans and sugar snap peas in boiling water for 2-3 minutes. Drain and run under cold water for a few minutes and add to a large bowl.
2. Cook the noodles according to pack instructions, drain and allow to cool before adding to the bowl.
3. Add the rocket, courgette, radishes and onion to the veg and noodles.
4. Add all the salad dressing ingredients to a jar or container and mix well. Drizzle over the salad and toss well to serve.
Coleslaw
What you need:
1 large carrot, grated or shredded
¼ white cabbage, cored and shredded
3 spring onions, sliced
¼ red cabbage, cored and shredded
1 medium Granny Smith apple, grated
For the dressing:
1 tsp mustard powder
1 tbsp white wine vinegar
5 tbsp fat-free natural yogurt
1 tbsp dried chives or parsley
What you do:
1. Add all the vegetables and the apple to a large bowl.
2. Mix together all the ingredients for the dressing and drizzle over the coleslaw.
3. Season lightly and mix well to serve.
Slimming World members have access to over 1,000 easy-to-make recipes on the website and app, as well as a handy Food Search tool to make meal planning easy. Add to that the support of an expert Consultant and the welcoming Slimming World community, and you’ll have all you need to set you up for a successful weight loss journey.
Please join in with the cook-along and let us know how you get on – we’d love to see what you’re creating, how you’ve made it work for you and the ingredients you have. And you can share your pics on social media, too, using #EatWellAtHome.