Preparation time: 45 minutes ❀ Difficulty of preparation: Simple ❀ Number of servings: 4
| Ingredients: |
|---|
| 200 g integral pasta |
| 200 g chicken breast (optional) |
| 4 spring onions |
| 100 g radish |
| 1 carrot (100 g) |
| 50 g aragula |
| 1/2 lettuce |
| 20 g feta cheese |
| 200 ml yogurt |
| 1 tbsp mustard |
| 7 tbsp olive oil |
| 1/2 lemon |
| 1/2 tsp salt |
| Fresh herbs (chives, parsley, dill ...) |
Preparation
- Bring a pot of lightly salted water to a boil, then add the pasta. Cook for about 15 minutes, depending on the instructions on the package.
- If you want to add chicken to the salad, cut the chicken breast into smaller cubes and season with salt. Heat the olive oil in a pan over medium heat and add the chopped chicken. Stirring occasionally, fry for about 20 minutes on low heat.
- In the meantime, prepare fresh vegetables. Clean and wash all the vegetables well, and peel the carrots. Chop the spring onions, radishes, and carrots into rings. In a bowl, mix the chopped vegetables and fresh arugula and lettuce.
- Cut the feta cheese into cubes, then add it to the bowl with the vegetables. Pour a little bit of olive oil over everything.
- In a separate bowl, prepare a sauce of yogurt, mustard, and herbs. Chop fresh herbs like chives, parsley, and/or dill and combine with 2 dl yogurt and 1 tablespoon mustard. Season the sauce with a little bit of salt.
- Strain the cooked pasta and mix it together with the vegetables, as well as the prepared chicken.
- Pour in the previously prepared sauce and mix everything together.
- Finally, pour a few drops of lemon juice over everything. Additionally, you can decorate the salad with fresh leaves of parsley, dill, or other herbs of your choice.
You can modify the spring salad's ingredients to fit your diet. For example, in the vegetarian version, you can exclude the chicken or replace it with smoked or marinated tofu. If you want a salad suitable for vegans, you can use vegan yogurt instead of plain yogurt. What is common to each version is the abundance of fresh green vegetables in their fresh and raw form, which gives us the opportunity to enjoy the benefits of healthy spring fruits to the fullest.
Fresh spring fruits are a symbol of spring and the awakening of nature, when everything around us is full of life. Nature is waking up, trees are blooming, and gardens and markets are full of seasonal vegetables. Of course, the benefits of fresh vegetables are greatest if we have grown them ourselves without the use of harmful chemicals or purchased them from local producers we trust. If you live in urban areas without much space, herbs and some vegetables can be relatively easily grown on the balcony or even the window sill. Every year, the kitchen window of my apartment is filled with a variety of herbs that I use regularly when cooking.
The window is oriented to the south, so the plants get enough light, and sometimes even a little too much. :) Moreover, you don't have to limit yourself exclusively to herbs. In larger pots with provided drainage, it is relatively easy to grow vegetables such as spring onions, arugula, spinach, chard, and even radishes. Plants fill the space with greenery and bring a touch of nature into our home. If they are also edible, the pleasure that comes from nurturing them becomes greater. It is a truly fantastic feeling when you pick herbs from the window at one point and add them to a dish at another. Hopefully, I'll write a little more about this process on another occasion.
Enjoy nature, gardening, and healthy spring fruits. :)
Bon appetit!
