Enjoy cool summer food

Struggling with the boredom of standard BBQ food which you’ve eaten all summer and looking for something a little different and refreshing? The house cleaning experts at MOLLY MAID, have some ideas of how to tickle your taste buds with some delicious cool summer food to share with family and friends.

Strawberry, Avocado and spinach salad with a poppy seed dressing

This delicious Strawberry Avocado Spinach Salad is quick and easy to make, full of great fresh flavours of summer food.

You will need:

6 cups fresh baby spinach

1 pint strawberries, hulled and sliced

1 avocado, peeled, pitted and diced (or you can double this to 2 avocados!)

4 ounces crumbled gorgonzola or blue cheese

1/4 cup sliced almonds, toasted

half a small red onion, thinly sliced

1 batch poppy seed dressing (recipe below)

POPPY SEED DRESSING INGREDIENTS:

1/3 cup avocado oil (or any oil, such as olive oil)

3 Tablespoons apple cider vinegar

2 tablespoons honey

1 tablespoon poppy seeds

pinch of ground dry mustard (optional)

salt and pepper

Next:

Simply toss all ingredients together with your desired amount of dressing until combined. Serve immediately.

Recipe source: www.gimmesomeoven.com

Peach Salad with Grilled Basil Chicken and White Balsamic-Honey Vinaigrette

While there’s only a few weeks left of summer it’s time to take advantage of the abundance of peaches or nectarines in the supermarkets or market stalls at the moment. There’s nothing that signals cool summer food like ripe juicy peaches!

You will need:

Grilled Basil Chicken

1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts

3 Tbsp olive oil, plus more for brushing grill

1/3 cup slightly packed chopped fresh basil

2 cloves garlic cut finely

1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Vinaigrette

1/3 cup olive oil

3 Tbsp white balsamic vinegar

1 Tbsp honey

1 tsp dijon mustard

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Salad

10 oz Spring Mix lettuce

1 lb peaches, sliced (about 3 small)

2 ears of sweet corn, husked and kernels cut from cob

1/2 cup chopped pecans, toasted

1/2 small red onion, sliced thinly (about 3/4 cup), rinse under water to remove harsh bite

4 oz Goat cheese, crumbled

Next:

For the chicken:

• In a small mixing bowl whisk together olive oil, basil, garlic, and lemon juice and season with salt and pepper (about 1/2 tsp of each). Using the back of a spoon, press basil against sides and bottom of bowl (to help extract flavour from). Place chicken in a resealable bag and pound thicker parts of chicken to even thickness with a meat mallet, then pour basil mixture over chicken and evenly distribute basil over chicken. Seal bag while pressing excess air out, rub marinade over chicken and transfer to fridge and marinate 2 – 5 hours.
• Fire up your BBQ for summer food! Brush the grill grates lightly with olive oil then place chicken on grill. Grill until cooked through, rotating once halfway through cooking, about 4 – 5 minutes per side. Transfer to a cutting board and leave to rest for 10 minutes then slice into strips or dice into cubes.

For the vinaigrette:

• Whisk together all ingredients until well blended and season with salt and pepper to taste. Store in the fridge until ready to use, stir again before pouring over salad.

For the salad:

• In a large salad bowl gently toss together lettuce, peaches, corn, pecans, onions, and grilled chicken. Sprinkle goat cheese over top and drizzle with vinaigrette. Serve immediately after adding dressing.

Recipe source: www.cookingclassy.com

Berry and Watermelon Fruit Salad

You will need:

1kg of thereabouts of watermelon, cubed

250g strawberries, hulled and quartered

250g of blueberries

250g of raspberries

250g cherries, pitted and halved

250g of blackberries

squeeze of fresh lime juice

Next:

Cut all of the fruit into bite-sized pieces. Add to a large mixing bowl, and gently toss together. Top with a squeeze of fresh lime juice, to taste. Serve chilled. Nothing can be more refreshing than this cool summer food recipe.

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