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Following Martha Stewart’s fruity advice for sunny salad days

Don’t forget to toast your nuts. (Photo: Ray Mahlaka)

29 Nov 2024

Channelling Stewart’s advice, I made a salad that paired leafy greens with mango and dates. This flavourful salad is perfect for a light lunch or a side dish at a braai this festive season.

Salad season is in full swing. A mixed bag of weather conditions have been reported across South Africa — heat waves and thunderstorms in recent days. The country is in typical spring and festive season mode.

Many of you will take advantage of warmer weather conditions by hosting braais this December and might need side dish ideas. I have a simple go-to salad that embodies the essence of spring; it’s colourful, cheery, light, healthy, and delicious.

Salads should be quick and easy to make, with a short list of ingredients. They should bring sunshine even on a rainy day. I love pairing leafy greens with fruits and a creamy soft cheese such as blue cheese.

I’m a big fan of Martha Stewart! Stewart’s documentary on Netflix chronicling her life is a must-watch. She says pairing fruits with leafy greens in a salad gained a following back in the ’90s, and the combination has remained popular. It’s a simple way to eat your greens and enjoy them, too. And who dares to question Stewart and go against her advice? Indeed, her advice is the gospel truth.

Salad Days — every Tuesday throughout summer in TGIFood.

Channelling Stewart’s advice, I made a salad that paired leafy greens with mango and dates. The formula is straightforward: butter lettuce leaves and rocket create the base of the salad. The only cooking or heat required is toasting the walnuts. Adding blue cheese, avocado slices, baby tomatoes, and a sprinkling of chia seeds are simple additions that amp up the salad’s flavour.

The dressing is also simple. It’s a combination of sweet and sour. For the dressing, I mixed extra virgin olive oil, thick soy sauce, apple cider vinegar (lemon juice works as an alternative), black pepper, and chilli flakes.

Enjoy this flavorful salad for a light lunch or a side dish at a braai this festive season.

Ray’s fruity Martha Stewart salad

Don’t forget to toast your nuts. (Photo: Ray Mahlaka)

Ingredients

Butter lettuce

Rocket

Mango (retailers sell peeled and diced mango so you don’t have to go through the pain of preparing the fruit)

Walnuts

1 Tbsp chia seeds

Baby tomatoes

1 avocado

Blue cheese

Medjool dates

For the dressing:

3 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1 Tbsp thick soy sauce

1 Tbsp apple cider vinegar/lemon juice (freshly squeezed)

½ tsp black pepper

½ tsp chilli flakes

Method

Heat a frying pan over medium-high heat. Add the walnuts to the pan. Cook, watching constantly and stirring frequently, until the walnuts start to brown and smell toasted — about 5 minutes. Set aside to cool.

In a bowl or on a plate, lay the butter lettuce leaves and rocket. Add mango, dates (cut in half), toasted walnuts, baby tomatoes, avocado (cut into slices), and blue cheese (cut into thin slices).

Mix the dressing ingredients together and coat the salad. DM

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