Summer is definitely the season for giant nourishing bowls of fresh vegetables with minimum cooking involved and this colourful salad with my go-to nut butter dressing is the perfect example!
A salad dressing made with good quality extra virgin olive oil, black pepper, and fresh herbs (and eventually some balsamic vinegar) will always be an unbeatable combination. But sometimes it’s good to change: this nut butter dressing or a creamy avocado sauce are both good ideas to add extra flavour and nutrients in a simple salad.
This salad is a beautifully balanced combination of deliciousness and nutrients: you have both the rich flavours of nut butter, chickpeas, and potatoes and the freshness of strawberries and salad greens:
- if strawberries are not available (here I’ve used the sweetest Irish strawberries), you could use a peach or a few plums instead
- the combination of this plant-based salad with chickpeas and the nut butter dressing creates a meal with a good mix of carbohydrates, protein, fats, and micronutrients. It also gives you the chance to combine different colours of vegetables and fruit on the same plate, helping you to increase the variety of food you eat in a day
- for the salad greens, go for lettuce, romaine, or rocket (apart from red chicory, any kind of greens could work well)
- as a nut butter alternative, you can opt for tahini
Usually, in a classic potato salad, I would simply boil the potatoes but when I add them to bowls in which they are not the main character, a 2-step cooking method gives to the whole meal a different delicious twist.
HERE THERE’S MY STEP-BY-STEP GUIDE TO GET THE POTATOES PERFECTLY COOKED EVERY TIME:
- wash and chop your potatoes (skin-on)
- place them in a pot of cold water and bring it to a boil: cook the potatoes until they start to become soft but they are still firm (check with a fork – don’t wait until they begin to easily break into pieces)
- drain the excess of water, place the potatoes on a baking tray, add a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil, a pinch of salt, some black pepper, and other spices according to your preferences
- quickly roast the potatoes in the oven at 180°C for approx. 10-15 minutes, so they will be crispy on the outside and soft on the inside
- wait for the potatoes to cool down before adding them to your salad or storing them in the fridge
You can keep the cooked potatoes in the fridge for a couple of days and get creative creating a variety of Summer salads.
Potato, strawberry, and chickpea salad with the easiest nut butter dressing
Ingredients (serves 2-3)
- 300 g cooked potatoes
- 4-5 handfuls of chopped salad greens
- 8 tbsp cooked chickpeas
- 1 handful of strawberries
- a few fresh basil leaves
- a pinch of black pepper
Mix all the ingredients for the salad in a bowl and serve with the dressing as a side: the sauce has olive oil and spices but, according to your preferences, you could add to your salad more spices or an extra drizzle of olive oil.
For the nut butter dressing:
- 3 tbsp nut butter (almond, hazelnut, or a seed butter will work well)
- juice of 1 lemon
- 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1/4 tsp ground turmeric
- a pinch of cayenne pepper
- a pinch of black pepper
To make the dressing: mix well all the ingredients and add a small amount of cold water as required to adjust the consistency of the sauce.
If you liked this post, share it with your friends using the buttons below. Don’t forget to tag me @amatterofnourishment on Instagram if you try this recipe: I’d love to see your creations!