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Oh yum. Two new quick-to-throw-together, satisfying recipes this week.

I’m hoping you will try the first one and now the second recipe below and make your tastebuds as happy as mine are. Let me know by leaving a comment if these recipes are your style!

I made this salad last night with the last few ingredients in my house plus some basil from the garden and a lemon I robbed…from a tree. From someone I know. I swear. Ok ok, you got me, it was a sneaky steal from my mum. Thanks mum!

I left the dodgy looking sweet potato and browning cabbage leaves and grabbed the ingredients which were sure to make me a delicious concoction. And that they did.

Meet the Warm Double Spinach and Basil “Pasta” Salad.

The key to this recipe is lots of lemon and then season as you like. The flavours of the vegetables speak for themselves. I love simple flavours provided the ingredients are high quality and in this salad, that is never truer.

Side note: I actually could have used more raw chopped garlic in this recipe. I just can’t get enough of it right now and I am almost afraid to admit the scary truth that I had four (yes you heard me right) cloves of raw chopped garlic with my dinner last night. They were big cloves too. Oh my poor love.

Maybe my craving is trying to tell me that I need to let go of my secret? No not the long green one. The OTHER one. NEVER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (Too much?)

Warm Double Spinach and Basil “Pasta” Salad

Ingredients:

1 cup of baby spinach leaves

1/2-1 zucchini spiralised or peeled into pasta (if you don’t have a spiraliser just grate your zucchini)

2 inch piece of cucumber, diced

1 cup of steamed spinach

8 sundried tomatoes, chopped (you won’t see these in my photos as I can’t eat tomato but I definitely recommend including them)

1/2 cup basil leaves, chopped

2 cloves of garlic, diced (use les or none if stink breath aint your thang )

1 avocado

Juice of 1 lemon

A few drops of stevia to make the flavours pop (optional)

Herbamare to taste (you could also add chilli, cumin, cayenne pepper, turmeric, some dried dill or parsley or any other spice you like if you don’t like simple flavours)

Directions:

Spiralise or grate the zucchini and chop the vegetables as above.

(Ever wonder what to do with the long thin tubes of zucchini left after using a sprialiser? Cut them up and throw them in the salad!)

Put all the ingredients except the avocado and steamed spinach into a bowl and mix well.

Put the spinach on low heat to steam until wilted (it should only take a few minutes at most).

Cut the avocado in half and spoon one half into the salad bowl with the other ingredients. Using your hands or a spoon, mash the avocado into the salad so it softens.

Add the steamed spinach and stir through the salad. It will warm the salad through and make it extra delicious.

Cube the other half of the avocado and add into the salad. Toss gently, season and serve.

This is the salad before I tossed the spinach and cubed avocado through….

Et voila! Nothing like a warm creamy salad of fresh green flavours and a punch from the garlic, basil and sundried tomato.

Do you make any warm salads? What ingredients do you cook or warm to add to your salads?