Things go wrong... before they go right

In the halcyon days of summer '15, namely the couple of summery days that actually graced the UK this August, I decided to make some healthy salady accompaniments to dinner.

Having had at work a mango salad one day to go with (if you can believe this), a roast squash samosa and way too much rice, I thought I would replicate the salad with some light, poached salmon and vegetables for dinner at home.

I knew I had a mango in the fridge getting a little sorry for itself, I had plenty of spring onions and a brown onion leftover and I had some tomatoes and peppers that I needed to use up. Never throw anything away!

So all I had to buy was a cucumber.

I dutifully washed and diced all the vegetables and started to compose the salad.

Alas it was not to be. The mango was far too soft and it made the whole salad look as if it had been left out all day in the sunshine to melt.

This was the result - still colourful but pretty sorry for itself.

All by myseeelllllf, 

With just 20 mins until the hubby was due home I wanted to perfect it, but how? Sure it tasted okay, but it looked weird and it had a floppy texture.

And then I remembered that a friend of mine in Canada had made a salsa salad with peaches in it. Peaches - I had none of these.

However, I did have a couple of nectarines in the fridge.

So I put the offending salad into a little tub for me to take to work for lunch the next day, and began again with the leftovers - or leftovers of the leftovers that I had been using initially, and swapping the nectarines for the Mango.

The result: much more solid, much firmer.

Ingredients
One FIRM Mango (or 2 Nectarines)
1 brown or red onion, diced
1/2 cucumber, chopped finely
1 yellow pepper, diced
2 tomatoes, diced
Lemon juice (freshly squeezed or from a bottle)
One small chopped red chili pepper
1/2 teaspoon of dried parsley

How to: 
Wash everything carefully
Chop it all up, mix it up, chill and serve
Time: about 10 minutes to prepare

It really is a great way to combine a range of fruit and veg leftovers, perhaps bits that might be too small to use as side-dishes in their own right, so it cuts down on food waste.

As it is a slightly more 'exotic' kind of salad, it looks very swish when presented on the table along with whatever else you are serving, as well as being a healthy alternative to many accompaniments.

The Nectarines Saved the Day. Pic: SimoneySunday

It goes very well with fish, chilli, couscous or fishcakes and is very simple to make.

Food Hack #98: Get that Salad Dressed!

Cheat's salad dressing

Do you ever have an urge to eat salad when you get in from work? You do? Crazy child. But who am I to judge? In fact I am here to help. If you have any leftover honey or Dijon mustard in a jar, here is how to create your own vinaigrette dressing cheaply and quickly.

Let's face it, paying £3 for an upmarket, home-style dressing is just nonsense when you can do it yourself for free!

Ingredients
Honey
Dijon or other grainy mustard
Vinegar
Olive Oil

How-To
If you have a smattering of runny honey left in a jar, add a few teaspoonfuls of Dijon mustard. Likewise if you have some Dijon mustard left in a jar, add a few teaspoonfuls of clear runny honey.

Then add a few ml of olive oil - about two teaspoonfuls, and a few dashes of red wine or white wine vinegar, replace the lid and shake what your mother gave you, and well.

Once it has all mixed together, et voila! You have a delicious salad dressing made up of leftovers.