Paleo, Italian, Summer Salad

The kids might be back to school and the Sunday evening, sandwich making ritual may have begun but I for one REFUSE to believe summer is over! To make myself feel more summery I decided to experiment with some summer flavours recently and invented my Paleo, Italian Summer Salad.

This is light, tasty, fills you up and takes just minutes to prepare. Even my 'Salads don't fill me up, can I have Chips too?' husband approved of it and said he really enjoyed it. (Spot his chips in the pictures below!)  Here's how you can make it too.

Ingredients:

Chicken/Turkey/Beef (meat optional as always!)

Good Quality Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Squeeze of lemon juice

Rock Salt

Freshly ground black pepper

Freshly chopped Basil, Rosemary, Thyme (I grow these 3 easily and cheaply on my windowsill) 

Sliced fresh mozzarella (comes in a bag of fluid)

Organic vegetables of choice. Here I used:

Rocket

Cherry tomatoes

Yellow and Orange Peppers

Cucumber 

Mustard and Balsamic optional.

Method:

Time allowing, chop your meat and leave it marinade in a few dashes of olive oil, lemon juice, salt, pepper, basil, rosemary, thyme. Thoroughly coat all the meat and allow to rest for as long as you have! If you don't have time to marinade just quickly toss the meat in the ingredients and move onto the next step.

Chop all your veggies and arrange as you feel fit on your plate.

On a low, gentle heat in a cermanic pan, cook the meat including oil, herbs and seasoning until fully cooked. 

Slice mozzarella into strips or chunks.

Arrange chicken and mozarella to the side of veggies or on top.

Using any excess juice left in the pan add some balsamic vinegar and a spoon of honey mustard to make a lovely dressing served on the side or drizzled over the top.

Enjoy as is or serve with crinkled oven chips for your husband!

The best thing about this recipe is it's quick and easy to make double portions. I usually make enough for 3 and keep some of everything to the side so I can take it for my lunch the next day. This massively cuts down on waste, time and effort and ensures you have a healthy meal ready to go for the next day.

Prep Time:

5 minutes, more if you marinade

Cook time:

15 minutes or as long as the meat is safely cooked

Dietary Information:
Gluten Free

Wheat free

Sugar Free 

Paleo 

High in protein

Vegetarian - leaving out the meat. Add nuts or more cheese instead.

Olive Oil is full of good fats, Omega 3s and excellent for hair, skin and nails.

Rosemary boosts immunity, increases circulation, aids digestion, is an excellent anti-inflammatory - great for asthmatics - and increases concentration. 

Basil helps clear skin, alleviates stress and worry and boost your mood.

Thyme is a natural disinfectant helping to fight bugs and bad bacteria in the body, lowers blood pressure and helps with coughing.

Enjoy this light, refreshing and satisfying salad anytime of day. And stay strong Jeanies! Summer is NOT over!