2 Picnic recipes - Minty Summer Salad and Sweet Watercress Salad

A few truly seasonal treat! Both salads are very healthy with lots of super-foods and loaded with nutrients. Nice and fresh, they go well together like mint and sweetness blow apart. In a delicious picnic serve with crusty French bread or corn chips. They are both vegetarians and gluten free and can be vegan and dairy free.

Minty Summer Salad

You should be able to get all the vegetables at the same time, but you can replace with a French or string beans or frozen endamame (soy) beans, if not. Best kept in a cool bag for travel.

8 oz (225g) bean

8 oz (225g) asparagus

8 oz (225g) peas

5floz (150ml) yogurt or soy yogurt

1tbls fresh mint, chopped

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Cook the vegetables are cooked, which should take about 10 minutes for beans and asparagus and peas for 5 minutes. Meanwhile, mix yogurt with mint, pepper and salt.

Let the vegetables cool and stir in dressing.

Sweet salad of watercress

This is a salad of contrasts - red and green vegetables and dried sweeetness hot peppery watercress.

4 oz (100 g) watercress

2 small cooked beetroot

1 ounce (25g) raisins

1 ounce (25g) pine nuts

3tbls oil

1tbls balsamic

Salt and black pepper

In soft raisins in warm water 20 minutes, then drain and cool. Meanwhile, light toast pine nuts under a hot grill. Put oil, vinegar, salt and pepper in a jar and shake until blended.

Mix all ingredients together and mix in dressing.