The BEST Summer Salad (ve, gf)

I could live on this salad during summer months! The mixture of crunchy salad leaves, juicy pineapple, creamy avocado and fragrant basil have to be one of my favourite combinations. A refreshing way to nourish yourself during warmer month after a day at the beach, when you get home with that (good) feeling on being tired that comes from staying just a little too long in the sun.

Vitamin C-rich pineapple helps the body to fight inflammation whilst the healthy fats in the avocado support the maintenance of beautiful skin. The salad greens are over 90% water and therefore the best ally to stay hydrated when temperatures reach their peak. If I’m making this salad the star of my meal I’ll add in drained and rinsed black beans for a source of protein. It also makes a great side for the herby tofu and smoky sweet potatoes from my book.

To preserve its freshness this salad tastes better when prepared right before eating. If you need to prepare it in advance I suggest washing and preparing the leaves and storing them in an airtight container, preparing and chopping the pineapple and storing separately and making the dressing. When you’re ready to eat, simply chop the avocado and toss everything together.

• Ingredients

  • 1 little gem lettuce

  • 80g rocket, watercress and spinach salad mix

  • 250g pineapple

  • 1 avocado

  • 3 tbsp olive oil

  • juice of 1 lime

  • 1 tsp Dijon mustard

  • 20g basil

  • salt & pepper

• Method

  1. Trim and shred the little gem lettuce leaves. Add to a big salad bowl together with the watercress, rocket and spinach salad mix.

  2. Trim, peel and chop the pineapple into 1cm pieces. Add to the lettuce. If you have more than you need, keep in the fridge to have as a snack of chopped and frozen in individual portions for smoothies.

  3. Halve, de-stone and scoop the flesh off the avocado. Dice into 1cm pieces. Add to the salad bowl.

  4. To a blender add the olive oil, lime juice, mustard, basil, salt and pepper. Blend until you have a vibrant green dressing.

  5. Pour the dressing into the salad, toss everything together and serve.

Hope you enjoy it and don’t forget to tag me on Instagram or Facebook so I can see your recreations.