Salads

You can fill more than Half Your Plate and create your own salad with this recipe. Chefs know that the art and craft of filling a salad bowl is one of the greatest expressions of the culinary arts. Home cooks love how easy it is to cram the salad bowl with healthy flavours. Everyone enjoys emptying the bowl. You’ll love knowing you have plenty of delicious dressing leftover for the next salad and nothing beats impressing yourself in your own kitchen! This one was custom created by Honorable Lawrence MacAulay with Chef Michael Smith’s coaching!

This snappy summer salad is packed with big, bright garden flavours that are perfect for picnics and potlucks. Raw summer salads are crunchy, delicious and a super simple way to dress up your table any time of the year. They’re always a great way to fill Half Your Plate with fruits and vegetables!

These quickly pickled cucumbers are half light salad, half bright condiment. You won’t believe how easy it is to simply simmer together an aromatic pickling liquid to soak a mess of sliced cucumbers. These tasty pickles are strong enough to top fish, chicken or pork but light enough to be an excellent side salad. You’ll love filling Half Your Plate with these big bright flavours!

When I toss romaine hearts into my shopping cart, chances are I’m heading home to make my family’s favourite salad. Every cook should know the joy of crafting a true Caesar salad while avoiding the also-ran dressings at the supermarket that never quite measure up to the real thing. Over time we’ve experimented with lots of additional flavours in this salad but, more often than not, I toss in lots of fresh basil leaves and brightly flavoured cherry tomatoes. What a great way to fill Half Your Plate!

I love fruit. I live for fruit. I'm powered by fruit! When fruit is properly ripened, it can be one of the best things to eat, so when you combine all your favourites together in a fruit salad, it can be a revelation.

How about balancing all that sweet with some sour lime, spicy chilli and cooling mint? Or what about using a secret ingredient that pairs perfectly with fruit? No one will ever know that it's vanilla adding that mysterious yet familiar flavour.

You can add a delicious spin to this classic group of Mediterranean flavours by grilling the vegetables instead of stewing them. For bright bursts of flavour I like to add lots of fresh aromatic basil leaves too. Next time you fire up your grill try preparing this recipe first, it’s the perfect side dish for grilling season. What a great way to fill half your plate with vegetables and all your plate with grilled flavour!

This is my favourite way to toss together the amazing flavours of a Niçoise salad and skip the traditional fussy arrangement of the ingredients. My kids aren’t big fans of visible anchovies and don’t know that they’re hidden in the powerfully flavoured dressing loaded with tangy lemon, bright parsley and aromatic basil. They just know they love this salad and I love that it’s a whole meal in a bowl!

Coleslaw is a classic pairing for pulled pork, primarily because of the crunchy texture contrasting against the soft pork. Plain cabbage can come along way with a bright dressing. My secret ingredient is fennel seeds, but it can be swapped out for your favourite herb or spice. As long as you start with mayonnaise and add something sour and something sweet, your coleslaw will taste great. It will be delicious as soon as you make it, but will taste even better the next day after the ingredients have gotten to know each other.

This salad celebrates the abundance of harvest time with crunchy croutons, spicy seeds and colourful cranberries.

This ain't your typical tuna salad! A rosy tuna steak is quickly seared in a hot pan and thinly sliced before being put on display over a hearty potato and green bean salad.

Light, crisp salad greens, fresh vegetables, and a tangy, well balanced dressing tastefully completes any meal. Skip the store bought croutons and impress your table with this homemade version. Chewy on the inside while irresistibly crisp on the outside, these croutons bake in the oven while you get the rest of the ingredients ready. Finish by adorning this versatile salad with unbeatable crunch.

This salad perfectly combines the flavours of the land and sea! The earthy heartiness of the lentils anchors the dish, the brininess of lobster adds lots of luxurious sweetness and the sharp, peppery arugula ties everything together.