It’s been an amazing summer here in London and one of the best things has been the generous servings of fresh fruits and vegetables I have consumed these past few weeks. It is too hot to eat, perhaps another reason the blog has gone a bit quiet! 😉

I came up with this deliciously cold recipe on a particularly hot day when I wanted pasta but couldn’t face the thought of eating anything warm.  Sweet, juicy cherry tomatoes, freshly chopped spinach, crumbly feta, garlic and red chilli combined with cold fusilli pasta and the simplest dressing of lemon juice and olive oil was just what I needed.

London takes on a whole new persona when the summer sun shines. People are friendlier, happier, brighter. Sunny dresses are out in all their girly glory, as are the sandals and sun cream. Summer also means lazy BBQs and refreshing salads – hooray!! Most definitely, my favourite time of the year.

After a super indulgent Wales trip followed by a decadent birthday weekend, my body craved some clean eating. Thankfully, the summer sun is feeding my healthy eating drive and I’ve been whipping up tasty salad storms.

I was recently invited by Maille, the famous French gourmet brand to enter the Maille Culinary Challenge and develop recipes using a couple of their products.

I love Maille mustard and was delighted with the opportunity to experiment with flavours. I chose Citron et Harissa (White Wine, Lemon & Harissa Spicy Mustard)and Noix de Coco et Epices Colombo (White Wine, Coconut and Colombo Spices) as my spicy mustard weapons.

Today’s recipe uses the Maille Citron et Harissa mustard. Harissa is a spicy red pepper paste commonly used in North African cooking. My colourful salad is a tasty marriage of flavours and textures with the marinated cheese, tangy pomegranate, walnuts and of course, the Maille Harissa mustard dressing.

I had the opportunity to speak to Dr. Christy Fergusson aka The Food Psychologist a few days ago. Dr. Christy Fergusson is a psychologist, nutritional therapist and clinical hypnotherapist who uses her personal experiences and training in nutrition to counsel young girls and women through a range of health issues.

Image provided by WIre Media

Christy’s own health troubles started at the age of 12 and lasted throughout her teenage years with a range of diagnoses such as chronic fatigue syndrome, severe acne, bulimia, endometriosis, poly cystic ovaries, depression and more. Her battles with her own health sparked an interest in pursuing psychology and clinical nutrition at university. However, the turning point for Christy was a consultation with a naturopath following which she realised that the source of all her illnesses was nothing else but a poor diet. Once her diet changed, everything changed.

Cold salads on wintry January days aren’t easy.  Especially, when it is gloomy outside and all you want is a hot plate of comfort.

I wanted something fresh, spicy and Thai yesterday. And, I needed it to be raw. A gorgeous Thai green papaya salad came to mind but I wasn’t going to find a Thai green papaya anywhere in my neighbourhood. Luckily, there was an unripe green mango at home with my name all over it. 😉

It took no effort to put together this cheerful Thai style Mango Salad. It is packed full of flavour, healthy and so easy. Try it sometime – it makes being good, taste fabulous!

I recently blogged about ‘The Beauty Detox Solution’, a book by nutritionist Kimberly Snyder, that has motivated me to make some serious changes to my lifestyle.

I have much reduced my intake of animal protein and made a dedicated effort to add more raw fruits and vegetables to my diet. A salad a day is my motto these days and so far, so good.

Today’s lunch was a simple Greek salad of tomato, cucumber, olives and feta cheese,  lifted up to superfood status with miracle grain, quinoa.

Quinoa is packed full of protein, iron, fibre and what not?

Nothing like a deliciously cold salad on a sweltering summer day. Wouldn’t you agree?

I have blogged about my Avocado and Cherry Tomato Salad before (see Superlicious Avocado) and today, I would like to share another cold favourite with all of you.

My Chilli Coriander Prawn and Avocado Salad is spicy, tasty and ridiculously quick to put together.

Chilli Coriander Prawn & Avocado Salad (Serves 2-3)

2 ripe and ready avocados, halved and pitted

1 pack pre-cooked prawns, around 150-200g

4 tablespoons, low fat mayonnaise

2 cloves garlic, chopped

A perfectly ripe avocado is undoubtedly my favourite ‘power food’. I was initially put off by the high fat content but the benefits of avocado in my diet make it very easy to overlook this technicality 😉

Avocado has the highest protein content of any fruit and is rich in a variety of vitamins and nutrients. It lowers cholesterol, helps to control diabetes and has also been known to inhibit the growth of cancer cells and improve side effects resulting from chemotherapy. It is high in folate and provides excellent nutrition to pregnant women and is also a nutritious addition to your child’s diet.