I know that we’re not out of the woods yet… our spring has a fickleness about it, that is known to throw us back into wintery weather with little warning, at any given time. We’re still a few weeks away from predictable warmth and sunshine.
Rather encouragingly though, this past weekend has seen us while away the lunch hour outside on our back deck with a rather different style of food than in the months gone by. No more of the heavy, comfort-giving winter fare. With the onset of spring my body seems to unsurprisingly be craving the freshness and lightness of salads, grilled meat and fresh fruit.
Asian-Infused Salad | Gather and Graze
- ¼ Red Cabbage
- 1 Medium Fennel Bulb
- 3 Spring Onions/Green Shallots
- 1 Medium Red Capsicum/Sweet Pepper
- Large handful fresh Coriander
- 1 Cup Roasted Unsalted Cashew Nuts
Thinly slice the cabbage, fennel and spring onions. Dice the capsicum. Chop rather roughly the coriander (including the stalks) and also the cashew nuts. Combine all these ingredients together in a bowl and toss through as much of the dressing below as required. Top with a few extra chopped cashew nuts.
Dressing
- ¼ Cup Vegetable Oil
- ¼ Cup Mirin (or Rice Wine)
- 1 Tablespoon (Salt-Reduced) Soy Sauce
- 1 Tablespoon Sesame Oil
- Thumb-size piece Fresh Ginger (finely grated)
- A good squeeze of lemon juice
- A couple of grinds of Sea Salt and Pepper
- 1 Tablespoon Sweet Chilli Sauce (optional)
Whisk all ingredients together in a bowl until completely combined. Adjust the amounts of soy sauce and lemon juice, as required.
Gather & Graze 
I have all these veges in my fall garden! wonderful salad.. c
How lovely Cecilia! I’m always completely in awe of your fabulous farm and the diversity of animals/fruits/veggies that you grow! Hope it cools down a little for you soon… Thanks, Margot
I think it is the best time of year at the moment, hot during the day but still cool enough to sleep at night. I love salads and this one looks really beautiful, a great combination of flavours.
That it is Karen – lovely to be able to sit outside again at the local cafes. Though perhaps up your way you can do that through winter anyway? Thanks for your thoughts – it’s a great one for picnics and backyard bbq’s!
Lovely and colourful! We’re heading into autumn here and enjoying the last of the summer peaches and corn. Soon it will be pumpkins!
Nazneen
Lovely to hear from you Nazneen! I can’t wait for the peaches to come into season here, they’re one of my absolute favourite fruits! I miss seeing all those gigantic pumpkins in the USA and being able to decorate the front porch with them for Halloween. Autumn and spring are both such beautiful times of the year… Cheers, Margot
Wonderful colour combination, I love red cabbage but I’ve never eaten it in a salad.
Thanks for your thoughts Iain. Isn’t it funny, I’ve never eaten it cooked… 🙂 I’d love to know how you would usually prepare red cabbage? Cheers, Margot
That salad looks beautiful and fresh! LOVE the purple!
Thanks Lidia – I loved the colours as well – a touch of spring perhaps? 🙂
We’ve had warm weather too, fingers crossed it lasts! And what a lovely salad…
My fingers are crossed too! I think this salad will become something of a staple for us through the warmer months – especially alongside barbecued chicken or steak! 🙂