green bean and chickpea salad with cherry tomatoes and red onion

ingredients
700g green beans
175g chickpeas, drained and rinsed
225g cherry tomatoes, halved

dressing ingredients
3T white wine vinegar
4T olive oil
salt and pepper
3T finely chopped fresh basil
1 red onion, diced

method
Wash, trim and halve the green beans and cook in boiling, salted water until tender, about 4-6 minutes. Drain, refresh in cold water and drain well. Put the beans, chickpeas and tomatoes in a serving bowl.

Mix the vinegar, olive oil, salt and pepper. Stir in the basil and onion and check the seasoning. Mix with the salad and leave to stand before serving.

variations
add 1t finely grated lemon rind to the dressing
replace the basil with thyme
use borlotti beans instead of chickpeas

aubergine salad with pomegranate seeds, herbs and feta

ingredients
3 small-medium aubergines
5 T olive oil, plus more for brushing
salt and pepper
1 pomegranate
juice of 2 lemons
1 clove garlic
fresh parsley
fresh mint
175g crumbled feta

method
Wash the aubergines and cut into 1cm thick slices. Sprinkle with slat and leave to stand for about 15 minutes. Rinse with cold water and pat dry with kitchen towels. Brush the slices on both sides with some of the olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Grill on both sides under a hot grill until golden brown.

Meanwhile, slice the pomegranate and carefully remove the seeds. Mix 5 T olive oil with the lemon juice. Press the garlic into the oil and lemon juice dressing and stir to combine. Sprinkle the warm aubergine slices with the dressing, toss and leave to stand for 2-3 minutes. Pick the leaves from the parsley and mint sprigs and mix with the aubergine slices. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Put the aubergine salad on a platter and sprinkle with pomegranate seeds, scatter with crumbled feta and serve.

variations
use courgettes instead of aubergines
use courgettes and aubergines (I used one green and one yellow and it was delicious!)
use fresh basil instead of pomegranate seeds
use sun-dried tomatoes instead of pomegranate seeds
use coriander

warm lentil salad

ingredients
275g brown or Puy lentils
1/4 English cucumber or 1 Perisan cucumber, diced
1 C cherry tomatoes, quartered
5 radishes, cut into small sticks
2 carrots, finely diced or shredded
2 spring onions, finely chopped
1 red onion, finely diced
1 T finely chopped fresh parsley

dressing ingredients
2 T safflower oil (I used olive and it was good)
4 T apple cider vinegar
salt and pepper to taste

purslane or other greens to serve

method
Place the lentils in a large saucepan, cover with water and bring to the boil. Turn heat to medium-low, cover and simmer about 30-40 minutes or until tender. Drain well.

In a bowl, mix the lentils with the prepared vegetables. Add the chopped parsely.

Make a dressing from the oil, vinegar, salt and pepper. Pour the dressing over the lentil salad and mix well. Serve on a bed of purslane or other greens.

variations
add new potatoes
add chopped coriander
add fresh spinach