One of the bests parts about summer is the food. Whether it’s the fresh fruits, vegetables, meats or cheeses, Summer’s all about stress-free entertaining.
These dishes are light, tasty and delicious and are sure to excite your tastebuds and there’s something for your breakfast lunch, dinner and dessert. Stay cool with an acai bowl for breakfast and keep things light with a delicious and easy Spinach, Walnut, Mint, Strawberry and Feta Salad. Let the flavours burst with the Seared Salmon with Asparagus, Pomegranate and Basil Oil for dinner and tantalise those tastebuds with a passionfruit semifreddo for dessert.
Cool down this summer with an Acai bowl. This popular super food smoothie bowl is packed with nutrients and will hit the spot this summer. The best thing is that you can add in the berries of your choice and change the toppings to your liking. These smoothie bowls are quick, easy and satisfying for breakfast or lunch. Delicious!
Ingredients (Serves 1)
- 1 banana, frozen
- 100g pack acai puree, frozen
- 60 ml cold water
For garnish:
- mint leaves
- goji berries
- chia seeds
- shredded coconut
- toasted muesli
Method
1 If you use a frozen pack of acai puree make sure you break it in a couple of places before you put it into a blender.
2 Add the frozen banana, acai puree and cold water into the blender and blend until smooth.
3 Pour out the smoothie mixture out into a bowl and garnish with mint, goji berries, chia seeds, shredded coconut and toasted muesli.
This vibrant summer salad is the perfect no cooking required meal. It can be an addition to your backyard barbeque grill party or simply served at home. This healthy salad is great for you to enjoy in the hot Australian summer.
Ingredients (Serves 4)
For the vinaigrette:
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
- 1 tsp honey
- 1/2 tsp Dijon mustard
For the salad:
- 6 cups baby spinach
- 1/2 cup walnuts, toasted
- Small handful of mint, taken off stem
- 2 cups of strawberries
- 1/3 cup Greek Feta cheese
Method
1 To prepare the vinaigrette, combine the olive oil, balsamic vinegar, salt, honey and Dijon mustard in a jar and shake. Set aside.
2 For the salad, cut the strawberries into quarters and roughly chop the walnuts.
3 To assemble the salad put the spinach leaves, walnuts, mint and strawberries into a large bowl and then crumble over the feta cheese. Dress the salad with the vinaigrette just before you serve.
Impress your dinner guests this summer with this simple yet elegant meal, any night of the week. With the crispy skin of the salmon, the snap of the asparagus and pumping pomegranate this dish is sure to please. Quick and delicious.
Ingredients (Serves 2)
- 1/2 red onion
- 1 green onion
- 1 pomegranate
- 4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 6 asparagus spears
- 2 salmon fillets
For basil oil:
- 1/2 cup packed fresh basil leaves, stemmed and washed
- 1 tablespoon water
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
Method
1 To make the basil oil, place the basil, water, garlic, salt and red pepper flakes in a food processor and pulse a few times. Then add the olive oil and blend until smooth. Set aside.
2 Slice the red onion and the green onion thinly and set aside.
3 Cut the pomegranate in half. Hold each half over a bowl, seeds facing down and tap the skin with a wooden spoon, squeezing a little to release the seeds.
4 Heat a large pan with a tbsp of olive oil, add asparagus and cook for 5 minutes or until tender.
5 Using paper towel pat dry the salmon fillets then season with salt on both sides. Heat a pan over medium to high heat with 2 tablespoons of olive oil and put the salmon skin side down. Cook for about 2-3 minutes per side.
6 To serve, place three asparagus spears on a plate. Top with a piece of salmon skin side up and garnish with the red onion, green onion and pomegranate. Finish with a drizzle of the basil oil.
This frozen dessert is a fast and easy go-to summer dessert. With the texture of frozen mouse it is similar to an ice cream cake but without the fuss and preparation time. Just take it out from the freezer, slice and serve. Simple!
Ingredients (Serves 10)
- 1 egg
- 3 egg yolks
- 150 gm caster sugar
- 400ml thickened cream
- juice of 1 lime
- pulp of 3 passionfruit, plus extra to serve
- 300ml whipping cream, whipped to serve
Method
1 Grease and line the base and sides of an 8cm x 22cm rectangular cake tin with plastic wrap.
2 Using an electric mixer, whisk the egg, egg yolks and sugar in a medium heatproof bowl until thick and creamy. While continually whisking, place the bowl over a saucepan of simmering water and whisk for 5 minutes or until mixture doubles in size. Remove from heat and set aside, allowing the mixture to cool.
3 Whisk the cream with an electric mixer in a bowl until soft peaks form. Add half the cream to the egg mixture and gently fold it in until just combined. Add the remaining cream, passionfruit pulp and lime juice and fold until just combined. Pour into the prepared pan and place in the freezer overnight until firm.
4 Turn the semifreddo out onto a serving platter. Drizzle with the fresh passionfruit pulp, cut into thick slices and serve immediately with a dollop of whipped cream.
