Mixed vegetable salad with a tangy spicy dressing

Of the three salads that I've made for Blogging Marathon #58, this one is my favourite. Loaded with colorful vegetables and crunchy toasted peanuts, this salad hits the right notes with a dressing that is tangy, spicy and mildly sweet.

What you need :
Cucumber - 1, peeled and cut into long, thin strips
Carrot - 1, cut into thin long strips
Tomato - 1, cut into thin strips
Onion - 1/2 of a small one, sliced fine
Capsicum - different colors - sliced thin and long, 1/4 cup
Corriander - a handful, chopped fine
Salt - to taste

For the dressing :  (This dressing, in my opinion, is the best part of this salad. Make sure to spoon plenty of dressing over each individual serving of salad)


Tamarind - a gooseberry sized ball soaked in water. Extract 1/3 cup of thick juice from the soaked tamarind
Red chilli powder - 1/2 tsp
Sugar - 1 tsp

Mix the tamarind extract, sugar and chilli powder in a large bowl. Stir till sugar dissolves.
Add all the other ingredients to this and mix well.
Toast a handful of peanuts in half a spoon of oil. Add this to the salad and toss. Serve immediately to retain the crunch of the peanuts.

Apple pear walnut salad

For the second day of Blogging Marathon #58, I have a fruit and nut salad. This was relished as an after school snack by my daughter. The walnuts and apples provide a crunch to the salad and are the perfect foil to the soft, ripe pear. Lemon in the dressing gives the salad a slight tanginess which, I feel, sets of the sweetness of the fruit perfectly.

What you need :
Apple - 1, chopped
Pear - 1, chopped
Walnuts - a handful, toasted and chopped into large chunks

For the dressing :
Honey - 1 tsp
Lemon juice - to taste (I extracted juice from about 1/4 of a lemon)

Mix all the ingredients for the salad and the dressing together. Serve immediately or chilled.
Enjoy.

Check out the Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing this BM

Chick peas salad

I am not much of a salad person. Though I could eat a well put together salad as part of a meal, it can never be a meal by itself in my household. I am hoping to develop a liking for salads through Blogging Marathon #58 where, for the first week, I have deliberately chosen to cook and showcase salads.
The first in the series is a simple yet hearty and substantial chick pea salad with a yogurt dressing that is a reflection of my love for chaas (spiced buttermilk).

What you need:
Chick peas - 1 cup soaked overnight and cooked
Onion - 1 small, chopped fine
Potato - 1, cooked, peeled and diced
Corriander and mint leaves - a few, chopped
Black salt (kala namak) - to taste
Juice of half a lemon

For the dressing :
Thick yogurt - 1/2 cup (Greek yogurt or hung curd works best for this)
Salt
Cumin powder - 1/2 tsp

Mix all the ingredients for the dressing well and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
In a large bowl, combine all the ingredients for the salad. Add in as much of the dressing as you like. Mix well to combine.
Enjoy.

Check out the Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing this BM