A bright and colourful salad to brighten up a gloomy day, featuring a creamy yogurt-based dressing of marinated basil, lemon zest and poppy seeds over a bed of colourful vegetables. Easy, tangy and satisfying.
Yeah, I know, summer is long gone. But it’s been awfully sunny here in Victoria in the last week, and produce hunting at the market has yielded some colourful, August-worthy jewels that deserved a spot on a beach-side picnic blanket.
Although the supermarkets are overflowing with pumpkins and squashes right now, I still have occasional cravings for bright, colourful salads. I’ve been on a yogurt kick lately, enjoying a variety of its savoury permutations, from tzatziki to raita. Today, I’m using it to create a wonderfully creamy dressing, for a salad that exemplifies the best of summer simplicity.
There will likely be no beach-side picnic blankets for me in the near future, only fuzzy socks and cozy sweaters. But, if, like me, you are already experiencing summer withdrawal symptoms, this salad should bring the rainbow back to your plate.
Joëlle
Yields 1
A bright and colourful salad to brighten up a gloomy day, featuring a creamy yogurt-based dressing of marinated basil, lemon zest and poppy seeds over a bed of colourful vegetables. Easy, tangy and satisfying.
Save Recipe
Ingredients
- 1/3 cup Greek yogurt
- 1 tbsp Olive oil
- 1 tbsp Shio koji*
- 1 Lemon, zest and juice
- 1 Sallot, julienned
- 1 tbsp White wine Vinegar
- 1 tbsp poppy seeds
- Handful Basil leaves, chiffonaded
- 1/2 tsp Maple Syrup
- Pinch Black pepper
- Half a bunch Kale
- Handful Cherry Tomatoes
- 1/4 Red Onion, thinly sliced
- 1-2 Scallions, thinly sliced
- Sheep Feta, crumbled
- A few Basil leaves
- A sprinkle of poppy seeds
Instructions
- Prepare the dressing first by mixing all the ingredients together. I like to leave the dressing in the fridge to marinate for a couple hours, but you can also use it straightaway.
- Separate kale leaves from the tough stems, and steam the leaves from 3-4 minutes. Discard the stems.
- While the kale is steaming, and cooling down, prepare the other salad ingredients and add them to a large bowl. Add the kale when it has cooled to room temperature.
- Mix in the dressing, and add the garnishes. Voila!
Notes
Shio koji is a lacto-fermented mixture of rice koji (rice inoculated with aspergillus oryzae spore -- the basis for many well-know Japanese ferments such as miso, sake and soy sauce). It provides enzymes and probiotics while imparting the dish with a unique umami flavour. You can substitute sea salt, himalayan salt or fish sauce. To learn more about shio koji, how to make it at home, and how to use it in the kitchen, click here.
Calories
Fat
Carbs
Protein
