Greek Salad

Ingredients:

1 head of iceberg lettuce or Romaine lettuce
2 medium sized cucumbers peeled and cut into half moon shape
2 medium tomatoes, chopped into quarters with seeds removed
1 big yellow bell pepper, chopped into 1/2" pieces
1 medium capsicum, chopped into 1/2" pieces (optional as the capsicum flavor overpowers the salad)
3 tbsp each of chopped black and green olives
200 gms Feta cheese crumbled or cut into 1/2" pieces

For the dressing:
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 tbsp brown sugar
1/2 tsp lemon juice
1 tbsp dried oregano
salt and pepper to taste

Method:
1. Mix all the dressing ingredients and whisk together with an egg beater till sugar dissolves completely.
2. In a large bowl, mix all the salad ingredients (except Feta) and refrigerate for an hour.
3. Just before serving, add the feta and the dressing, toss well and serve.
4. Pls note that both the olives and feta are quite salty in taste, so adjust the salt in the seasoning accordingly.
5. Always take only the amount of salad that is to be consumed immediately and add the dressing only to that. Keep the remaining dressing in a tightly sealed container in the fridge and mix with the veggies just before serving.

Chat-pata peanut salad

This one is quite popular during booze parties and goes well with any kind of drink

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups peanuts (the dried variety you get in provision stores)
6 cups water
2 tbsps lemon juice
2 medium sized onions finely chopped
1 large tomato finely chopped
2 tbsps chopped coriander leaves/parsley leaves
1/2 tsp red chilli powder
1/2 tsp chat masala (in case chat masala is not there, use 1/4 tsp jeera powder, 1/4 tsp garam masala)
Salt to taste

Method:
1. Soak the peanuts in 3 cups water for 2-3 hours. In case you are making this for an abrupt party, boil the water and then soak the peanuts for 1 hour
2. Once soaked, drain the water. Add 3 cups of fresh water, 1 tbsp salt and pressure cook for 2 whistles on medium heat
3. Remove from cooker and let cool
4. Add chopped onions, tomatoes, coriander leaves and all the masalas and mix well and serve

Chickpea Salad

A yummy low-fat and high protein salad

Ingredients:
200gms chickpeas/kabuli chana/garbanzo beans soaked for 5-6 hours
2 medium sized red onion, chopped finely
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 large red tomato, finely chopped
1/2 cup chopped parsley/coriander leaves
3 tbsps olive oil
1 tbsp lemon juice
Salt and pepper to taste

Method:
1. Boil the chana/chickpeas in the cooker on medium heat with 1 tbsp salt and 4 cups water for 4-5 whistles. Remove and cool to room temprature. Drain the water
2.In a large bowl, combine the chickpeas, red onion, garlic, tomato, parsley, olive oil, lemon juice and salt and pepper to taste.
3.Chill for 2 hours before serving.
Goes well with any Italian/Spanish main course.

Modified Waldorf Salad

This is one of the easiest and tastiest salads I usually make. Its a hit with the kids too and a good way to get them to eat their veggies ;-)

Ingredients:
Eggs - 4
Pineapples - 4 slices
Cheese cubes - 2 (Amul cheese cubes go best)
Potatoes - 2 medium sized, boiled and peeled.
Apples (optional) - peeled and cored
Mayonnaise- 3 tbsps
Salt and pepper to taste

Method:
1. Hard-boil the eggs, cool to room temprature and cut into 1" pieces. Remove the yolks and keep only the whites
2. Dice the pineapples, potatoes and apples into 1" pieces. For the potatoes, you can cook them in the pressure cooker without water or use the preset microwave settings to cook them. Let them cool to room temprature before cutting
3. Dice the cheese cubes into 1/4" bits
4. Now mix all these ingredients together with the mayonnaise in a large bowl. Add just a pinch of salt if needed and some pepper powder. Put the salad in the fridge and let it chill for about an hour before serving.
This salad goes very well with pasta, risottos, sandwiches/burgers and Mexican rice. The kids love it 'cos each bite is a surprise as the ayonnaise coating prevents them from discerning the ingredients ;-)