Have a fruity summer with these salad recipes

Working and studying from home has plenty benefits especially when it comes to your daily lunch choice. But how do you ensure that you continue your health journey at work, on the road and even at school?

Mzansi’s most trusted and loved celebrity chef Jenny Morris shares fun summer stone fruit salads that ticks all the right boxes. Her peach and bulgar wheat salad and nectarine smoked chicken salad are packed with helpings of vitamins and more essential nutrients from the juicy fruit variety.

Plums, peaches and nectarines, are collectively known as stone fruit.

“It is an absolutely yummy and filling alternative to boring sandwiches and keeps those hunger pangs at bay,” she says.

Peach and bulgar wheat salad    

Morris’s peach and bulgar wheat salad is easy to make and a satisfying meal that can be prepared the night before.

For your added fill of the juicy summer fruit bounty add stone fruit as a snack.

INGREDIENTS

 2 cups cooked bulgar wheat

 1/2 red onion finely diced

 2 spring onions with tops finely chopped

 1/2 cup chopped mint

 2 large cling peaches washed, stoned and finely diced

 1/2 medium cucumber finely diced

 1/2 cup finely diced red pepper

 2 red chillies chopped (optional)

 Salt and pepper to taste

METHOD:

1. Toss all the ingredients together and add the dressing 30 minutes before serving.

For dressing:

 1/2 cup orange juice

 1/4 cup lemon juice

 1 Tbsp honey

 3/4 tsp salt

 Pepper to taste

 2 cloves finely grated garlic

 1 tsp mustard of your choice

 1/2 cup olive or vegetable oil

METHOD:

1. Stir together all the ingredients except the oil, taste and adjust the seasoning, then whisk in the oil.

Nectarine and smoked chicken salad

Morris’s nectarine and smoked chicken salad is another substantial lunch box meal you’ll enjoy.

Plums, peaches and nectarines are naturally sweet fruit with a low glycaemic index (GI). They are high in fibre and abound in health-giving potassium and vitamins A, C and E, all-powerful antioxidants that protect against disease and help to build healthy minds and bodies.

INGREDIENTS

1 cup cooked bulgar wheat

Zest of 1 yellow lemon

2 Tbsp chopped mint

1 cup cucumber, chopped or thinly sliced

2 large firm nectarines stone removed and chopped

300g chopped smoked chicken breast

30g toasted almonds chopped

Salt and pepper to taste

METHOD:

1. Place all the ingredients together in a bowl, season with salt and pepper and lightly toss together, add the dressing and stir together gently.
2. Divide into 4 portions and pack into lunch boxes.

For dressing:

3/4 cup mayonnaise

1 Tbsp olive oil

1 Tbsp lemon juice

METHOD:

1. Stir together and season to taste.

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