These Cold Salads Will Keep You Going In The Hot Summer Days

Quinoa and Pepper Salad

Serves: 4

Made with the ‘super seed’ quinoa and antioxidant-rich bell peppers, this salad checks all the boxes for healthy eating.

While quinoa contains essential amino acids that your body cannot synthesize, bell peppers are packed with vitamin A and vitamin C. You can eat this salad as a side dish or even as a main course. Add shredded chicken or a boiled egg for a protein boost.

How to: Boil 1 cup of quinoa in a deep pan as per the instructions on the packet. Quinoa needs to be cooked just like rice. For every 1 cup of quinoa, you need 2 cups of water. Let it soak all the water, drain the excess water, and set aside to cool.

Chop ½ yellow bell pepper, ½ red bell pepper and 1 small onion into ½-inch pieces. Slice 5-6 pitted black olives, 3-4 gherkins (or ½ chopped cucumber) and finely chop 4-5 jalapenos.

For the dressing, in a salad bowl, combine 2 tablespoons of low-fat mayonnaise, 1 tablespoon of apple cider vinegar, ½ teaspoon of salt and pepper, 1 teaspoon of sriracha sauce or sweet chilli sauce and 1 teaspoon of honey. Whisk well till it’s a smooth sauce.

In a bowl, combine quinoa, vegetables and the dressing and mix well. Serve the salad garnished with crushed nacho chips or crushed lavash.

Asian Raw Papaya Salad

Serves: 10

A staple in Asian cuisine, raw papaya is a powerhouse of enzymes. This fibre-rich, low-calorie fruit is great for the digestive system as it helps with gut-related issues, such as chronic constipation, acidity, piles and diarrhoea.

Also packed with essential minerals and vitamins, this underrated fruit can be used in a variety of ways in everyday cooking—such as salads, in pulses and legumes, in meats and chicken and so on.

How to: In a mortar, lightly pound 6 garlic cloves (or use a mixer grinder on slow,) then add 2 red chillies and pound again. To this, add 4 tablespoons of powdered jaggery, 6 tablespoons of lemon juice, 1 tablespoon of sesame oil, 4 tablespoons of soya sauce and 1 tablespoon of vinegar, and pound till it becomes a coarse paste. Add 5 tablespoons of roasted peanuts and lightly pound again. Mix the dressing well.

To a mixing bowl, add 1 small finely shredded papaya (you can use a vegetable shredder), 2 chopped tomatoes, 5-6 blanched and sliced green beans and the salad dressing. Sprinkle salt and pepper and toss well. Chill and serve, garnished with roasted peanuts.