Saturdays in Spring call me outside. They whisper of the delights of the increasing heat of the sunshine and the new green shoots poking out of the earth. They tell me to put on my prettiest dress (without winter tights) and brush my hair and gather some of my favourite ladies together for a lunch date where we can laugh and drink sparkly bubbly things and talk about the important and unimportant facets of life. On Saturday just passed my sister and I went out on a lunch date with our grandmother (Mormor as we call her). We sat at an outside table of a local cafe and my sister and I sipped Diet Cokes while my grandmother enjoyed a well-earned glass of Moscato (she just had her second knee replacement five weeks ago and she has already ditched her walker!).
Mormor and Me
My grandmother is an interesting and inspirational woman and I was so thankful for our Saturday lunch. Two generations of women learning from each other’s individual experiences and wisdom and feeling blessed for the shared time and the spring sunshine. We talked about men (boy talk!), and love, and babies and marriage, and politics, and how great it was just to be together. I had an amazing salad for lunch (good job updating your menu Coffee Club) and I wanted to recapture the feeling of freedom and spring in my weekday lunch box. With a few little tweaks I made it my own and now I am sharing the Lunchbox Love with you.
Springtime Beetroot, Asparagus, and Feta Salad (Vegetarian, Gluten Free)
Packed in individual containers for lunches this will last 3 days in the fridge. If you want to ensure that your lettuce doesn’t get soggy, put dressing in a small container and dress the salad just before eating. That being said, I am partial to soggy lettuce every now and again – please, don’t judge me.
Ingredients:
- 3 pre-cooked baby beets (find them in the produce section)
- 4 packed cups of mixed salad greens
- 1/3 cup walnuts
- 400 gram can butter beans
- 75 grams Greek Feta, crumbled
- 1/2 small salad onion, finely diced
- 1 small bunch asparagus
- Juice of 1 lemon
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- Pinch of salt and black pepper
Method:
- Dice baby beets into dice-sized pieces and place into a large bowl with mixed salad greens and walnuts.
- Drain butter beans and rinse thoroughly and add to the bowl along with crumbled feta and salad onion.
- Chop the woody ends off the asparagus and slice into 3-4cm long pieces. Place into a small microwave-safe bowl with a splash of water and microwave for 90 seconds. Immediately remove from the microwave and rinse in cold water to stop the cooking process. Drain well and add to the salad mix.
- In a separate bowl whisk together lemon juice, oregano, salt and pepper.
- Dress salad, toss well and serve.
Tell me dear reader, what sort of Springtime Adventures have you been on? What’s on your Spring ‘To Eat’ List?
And tell me, please, did anyone else jump up and down when they saw the first locally-grown asparagus available in the supermarket?
No? Well…okay then….I’m off to eat my salad….
