Just two weeks after Christmas and it’s a tough time for healthy eating. The get togethers and BBQs and Summery fun continue and it’s easy to slide into daily overindulging well after the Christmas festivities have ended.
I do want you to get back on track, but still enjoy your life! The trick to keeping the weight off and even losing fat this time of year is to stick to mostly veggies and lean protein. With some creativity and planning, salads and a little bit of meat form the perfect fare for the barbecue season.
But we don’t want your salads to be boring! Think outside of the square to create veggie packed sides that will be the star attraction of the meal.
Focus on making your salads as colourful as possible and tossing well with a delicious dressing. Our Summer Cauliflower Rice Salad is a lower carb twist on a BBQ favourite. (By the way, there’s no actual rice to be seen). Give it a go and get inspired to throw together your own unexpected Summer salad!
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Ingredients (to serve 4 as a generous side)
1/2 butternut pumpkin, peeled and cubed
1/2 cauliflower grated
1/4 purple cabbage, grated
1/2 cup hazelnuts, roughly chopped
1/2 punnet grape tomatoes, halved
1 teaspoon garam masala
Extra virgin olive oil for drizzling
Dressing
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Juice of 1 lemon
1/2 tablespoon white wine vinegar
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Method
- Preheat oven to 180C.
- Pop butternut pumpkin in a tray lined with baking paper. Sprinkle with garam masala and drizzle with olive oil. Spread grated cauliflower onto a second try lined with baking paper. Pop both trays in the oven for 20 minutes, tossing halfway through. When cooked, remove trays from oven and allow to cool a little.
- Add ingredients for dressing to a small bowl and whisk well.
- Combine all the veggies in a salad bowl. Add dressing and toss well to coat.
- Enjoy! Goes spectacularly well with your choice of meat.
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