You do make friends with salad

What can I say, dear readers? It has been a long, long time between food related posts. Forgive me please, for this mere mortal has been sweltering through an already hot summer that decided to throw 3 consecutive heat waves upon us.

Three! And with no air conditioners in sight. Cry.

Ok, I may have made mention before that I'm not particularly fond of summer anyway. So, as you can imagine, I have been melting. Into a pool of self pity, sweat and sugary temptations to comfort myself through this weather related nightmare.

No, I'm not a drama queen. Ok, perhaps just a bit. But so have many, many other people enduring Australia's record breaking temps across the country. It's been just a bit un-fun for us cool climate adorers.

So, as I've alluded to, my diet has been, well, carby. Nothing to post here people.

Now that it's officially Autumn (insert hysterical laughter here as today was 30 but felt 33 in the humidity), I feel its time to say, you do make friends with salad.

Enter my divine Sunday lunch...

Marinated Chicken & Vermicelli Salad.

Serves 4 as a main, or 6 as a side dish.

ingredients for marinated chicken:

1 large chicken breast.

1-2 tbs honey.

3 tbs soy sauce.

1 heaped tsp crushed ginger.

1/2 tsp chilli flakes.

method:

Cut chicken breast in half and cover with the marinade. Leave for at least 2 hours, or overnight. Turn at least once.

ingredients for salad:

third packet of rice vermicelli (I buy large packets, so a third goes a fair way).

2 carrots, chopped into sticks.

1 cup shredded red cabbage.

1 finely sliced red onion.

3 cups spinach leaves.

1/4 cup grated beetroot.

1/2 cup peanuts

olive oil for frying.

method:

Place vermicelli into boiled water, stir until covered. Set aside.

Drain and finely slice chicken. Fry over medium heat until just cooked through. Set aside.

Add carrots, fry until just soft.

Cook off extra marinade for 1 minute. Turn off heat. If not much marinade left, add more soy and honey.

In a large serving dish, place spinach leaves across bottom. Add beetroot.

Drain vermicelli, add to chicken, cabbage, carrots, red onion. Toss well.

Pour over spinach base.

Top with peanuts and extra marinade.

Enjoy!

See, you do make friends with salad!

Try this- it's seriously so good! It's easy to make you own variations too- I'd love to hear them.

Hope to be back with more soon, lovely people!

Until next time, thanks for reading :)