Nutty lentils go so well with the anise flavour of fennel and salty savouriness of green olives, all tossed with a lemony dressing and sprinkle of hazelnuts to finish.
This salad came together the first day that Josh photographed my food. Knowing he loved his veggies, a concert of green vegetables with a creamy mustard dressing evolved.
A much-maligned vegetable, the secret to tasty Brussels sprouts is to caramelise them until they're golden, stopping when they are just tender and still bright green. A drizzle of honey makes them shine, and a sprinkle of toasted nuts never goes astray.
Refreshing, tangy and nutty all at once, this a great Winter salad when blood oranges appear and the Vitamin C helps the absorption of iron from the spinach, to boot! The Candied Pecans are a great little snack to nibble on too.
Oh how I love lamb cutlets - tender sweet little morsels of meat with a convenient built-in handle. It's fun to tuck in a little haloumi to form a surprise centre, and coat them in spice before they hit the barbecue. Here I've served them with a crunchy and colourful Turkish Esme Salad that is a great contrast to any barbecued meats.
Orzo pasta makes a delightful base for a salad. Here I have combined it with the unusual blend of broccolini, coriander and ruby grapefruit and topped it with easy-to-do smoky chicken slices. With its sweet and sour dressing, it works as an accompaniment or a meal in itself.
This salad is a riff on the ingredients of a Greek salad but without the feta. Baby cucumbers are so cute and crunchy and the tomato dressing is inspired by the juice I love to mop up at the bottom of the salad bowl. Kalamata olives are perfect and if you want to add a little feta, well that would be wonderful too.
The French know how to make the best of the humble radish, serving them simply with butter and sea salt. Their peppery crunch and pink brightness make for a great salad addition and a few sweet peas thrown in are a lovely contrast.