Eatyour greens

Enjoy the new-season parade of leafy salad and veggies and serve up fresh, colourful dishes to supercharge your week

Mix it up

Japanese-style rice salad

Let sweet tenderstem broccoli take centrestage in a vegan plate everyone will love. Sticky miso aubergine and nutty brown rice are stars in this show too.

Serves 4 | Ready in 50 mins

Faff factor

• 2 tbsp peanut butter

• 1½ tbsp white miso paste

• 2 tbsp rice wine vinegar

• 2 tbsp reduced salt soy sauce

• 2 tbsp agave syrup (or maple syrup)

• 4 pack Asda Tender and Sweet

Baby Aubergines

• 320g tenderstem broccoli

• 200g easy cook long grain brown rice

• 2 garlic cloves

• 1 tbsp sesame oil

• 2 red chillies

• 1 thumb-sized piece of ginger

• 320g frozen edamame

• ½ small bunch fresh coriander

1 Preheat the oven to 200°C/180°C fan/ gas 4. In a medium bowl, mix the peanut butter, white miso, rice vinegar, soy sauce and agave syrup together. Cut the aubergines in half lengthways and add to the bowl, coating in the mixture. Add to a baking tray, cover tightly with tinfoil and bake for 30 mins. After this time, remove the foil, add broccoli and continue roasting for another 15 mins.

2 Cook the rice according to packet instructions, then drain and set aside. Finely slice the garlic and add to a large frying pan over a medium heat with 1 tbsp sesame oil. Finely slice the chillies, set one aside for serving and add the other to the garlic. Peel and very finely chop the ginger and add that to the garlic and chilli. Fry for a couple of minutes, stirring often, until starting to turn golden and fragrant. Add the cooked rice and frozen edamame and toss in the fragrant oil until completely coated and heated through.

3 Divide the edamame-rice mixture between shallow bowls, then top with the sticky miso aubergine and tenderstem broccoli. Top with the reserved chopped chilli, picked coriander leaves and a little extra soy sauce to taste.

Scandi-style new potato and mackerel salad

Fish and potatoes are the dream team. Factor in horseradish, soured cream, watercress and pickled red onion and you have a seriously good, colour-popping plate.

Serves 4 | Ready in 30 mins

Faff factor

• ½ red onion

• 2 tbsp white wine vinegar

• 1kg baby potatoes

• 1½ tbsp English mustard

• 2 tbsp horseradish sauce

• 4 tbsp reduced fat soured cream

• 1 bunch spring onions

• 2 smoked mackerel fillets

• 2 tbsp olive oil

• 1 bunch dill

• 85g watercress

1 Finely slice the red onion and add to a small bowl with a pinch of salt and the white wine vinegar and scrunch it all together. Set aside to soften. Cook the potatoes in a large pan of boiling salted water for 15–20 mins, or until they are cooked through.

2 Add the English mustard, horseradish sauce and soured cream to a large bowl with salt and pepper. Finely slice the spring onions and add to the bowl. Drain the potatoes and allow to cool just for a second, then add to the horseradish dressing while still warm so they absorb as much flavour as possible. Toss to coat. Flake the mackerel fillets into the bowl, then drizzle in the olive oil and the vinegar from the soaked red onion and mix.

Keep it fresh

Dress the potatoes, without the watercress or dill, up to two days in advance. Cover and place in the fridge.

3 Divide the salad between bowls, topping each with a little pickled red onion, dill leaves and watercress. Drizzle with olive oil to serve, if you like.

Cook’s tip: To make this recipe a little thriftier, swap out smoked mackerel fillets for a tin of anchovies instead.

Serving suggestions: Serve as part of a spring BBQ spread with grilled meats, salads, fresh bread and berries for pud.

Greek salad board with bulgur wheat

This enticing platter of pan-fried chicken, sunny spring veggies and a delicious side of houmous is the complete package, perfect for sharing.

Serves 4 | Ready in 1 hr 35 mins

Faff factor

• 3 lemons, plus extra to serve

• 20g fresh rosemary

• 2 garlic cloves

• 3 tbsp olive oil, plus extra to serve

• 650g Asda Boneless Chicken

Thigh Fillets

• 200g bulgur wheat

• 440g cherry tomatoes

• 25g fresh flat leaf parsley

• 30g fresh mint

• ½ cucumber

• 1 bunch spring onions

• 2 wholemeal pittas

• 1 avocado, sliced

• 100g houmous

• 75g mixed olives

• pickled chillies, to serve

1 Using a vegetable peeler, remove strips of peel from 2 of the lemons and add to a bowl along with their juice and the stripped leaves from a bunch of rosemary. Peel and crush the garlic cloves and add to the mixture, along with a generous pinch of salt and freshly ground black pepper. Add 2 tbsp olive oil, mix for a second and then add the chicken, stirring until everything is well mixed. Cover and set aside in the fridge to marinate for at least an hour, or ideally overnight.

2 Cook the bulgur wheat according to packet instructions. Halve the tomatoes and finely the chop parsley, mint leaves, cucumber and spring onions and add everything to a bowl. Add the cooked bulgur wheat and dress with the zest and juice of the third lemon, along with salt, pepper and 1 tbsp olive oil.

3 Place a frying pan over a high heat and, after draining a little, add the marinated chicken to the pan. Cook for 5–6 mins on either side, until the chicken is golden and cooked through.

4 To serve, get a big board and spread out the bulgur wheat salad to form a base. Top with slices of the chargrilled chicken and serve with toasted pitta, sliced avocado, houmous, olives, pickled chillies and lots of fresh lemon for squeezing over it all.

Cook’s tip: Marinate the chicken overnight for even more flavour.

Power lunch

Any leftovers can be put together for the ultimate packed lunchbox.

Spring panzanella

Experience a taste explosion, Italian style. Goat’s cheese croutons, in-season asparagus and wild rocket bring exciting flavours and textures to the table.

Serves 4 | Ready in 25 mins

Faff factor | V EF |

• 200g leftover bread, torn into 3cm chunks

• 1 garlic clove, halved lengthways

• 150ml extra virgin olive oil

• 100g goat’s cheese

• 2 lemons

• 2 tsp Dijon mustard

• 300g asparagus

• 300g frozen petit pois

• 240g radishes

• 1½ tbsp baby capers, drained

• 1 round lettuce

• 60g wild rocket

• 25g flat-leaf parsley

1 Preheat the oven to 200°C/180°C fan/ gas 4. Rub the bread all over with the cut side of the garlic clove, then tear into 3cm chunks and place on a large baking tray. Drizzle 1 tbsp olive oil over the bread and bake for 10 mins, or until golden brown. As soon as it comes out of the oven, tear over the goat’s cheese to melt a little and set the tray aside to cool.

2 Zest and juice the lemons into a medium bowl, followed by a generous pinch of salt and pepper and the halved garlic clove you used to scrape the bread. Whisk together until the salt has mostly dissolved, then whisk in the mustard, followed by the rest of the olive oil in a steady stream – constantly whisking as you do so. Set aside.

3 Bring a small saucepan of water to the boil and, when boiling, add the asparagus and petit pois. Cook for 2 mins, then toss directly into the bowl of lemon dressing, so that everything is nicely coated. Halve the radishes and add to the bowl, along with the capers and some ground black pepper.

4 Roughly break apart the lettuce leaves and lay out on a big serving dish, or divide between bowls. Evenly scatter over the dressed vegetables, followed by cheesy croutons, rocket and the picked leaves from the bunch of flat leaf parsley.