Smashing Summer Salad Recipe

Plant-based entrepreneur and founder of London’s very own Plant Academy, Lauren Lovatt, shares a seasonal, mind-boosting salad recipe perfect for long summer days. 

Try Lauren’s Smashing Summer Salad recipe of green pea, summer blushed tomatoes & potato crackling to lift your spirits and inspire a mellow summer in the sun.

New Potato crackling

Ingredients:

200g new potatoes (if you can find purple potatoes to add another variety to your life they are fantastic)
40ml olive oil 
10g dried oregano
Big pinch salt

Method:

  • Firstly, pre-heat your oven to 180c and line two baking trays with baking paper.
  • Clean your potatoes and cut them into quarters, across the middle then in half again. 
  • Place in a saucepan covered in water and bring the boil.
  • Allow to simmer for 20 mins until cooked through then allow 120g of the potatoes to cool.
  • With the other 80g, smash them in a bowl with a fork, smother in oil, salt and oregano and place on one lined baking tray in the oven.
  • Cook until crispy.

Summer blushed tomato pesto

Ingredients:
One punnet cherry tomatoes 
Two cloves garlic 
100g hemp seeds 
The zest of one lemon
100ml olive oil 
10g nutritional yeast 
Pinch salt

Method:

  • Cut each tomato in half and toss with 1 tbsp olive oil and a pinch of salt, toss these tomatoes onto the other baking tray. 
  • Place the garlic cloves, skin on, on the tray with the tomatoes and turn the oven down to 140°C. 
  • Slowly roast for one hour (with the potato crackling still in the oven) until the tomatoes have lightly blushed and the garlic is soft.
  • This enhances the flavour of these lovely summer tomatoes and changes the texture perfect for pesto.
  • Now, as you gather the other ingredients, allow the tomatoes and garlic to cool. 
  • Peel the garlic and place into a food processor with tomatoes, hemp seeds, lemon zest, salt and nutritional yeast. Pulse to combine and gradually stream in the oil.
  • Set aside.

Greens    

Ingredients:
200g peas 
100g mixed leaves 
20g Fresh mint leaves, picked from the stalks 
20g Fresh parsley leaves, picked from the stalks 
Juice of one lemon 
Pinch of chilli powder 
A handful of fresh tomatoes, optional

Method:

  • Whilst the cooked elements are coming together, simply gather your greens.
  • Toss the peas in the summer tomato pesto and set aside.
  • Whisk the olive oil, lemon, chilli and salt together and pour half over your cooling potatoes.
  • At the last minute, toss the leaves and herbs in a couple of tbsp of dressing. 
  • Lay on a plate, scatter over potatoes, pesto smothered peas and fresh tomatoes. 
  • Top with the crackling, serve and enjoy! 

 

Get more summer food inspiration, with our tips on throwing the perfect sustainable BBQ or low-waste picnic.

Read more about the relationship between food and mental health in our interview with Lauren Lovatt.

See the Eco-Age team‘s thrown-together summer recipe ideas.