Monday Meals: Not-So-Simple Salad & Sweet Potato Chips

So it's actually hot outside now. When it gets to this time of the year, I usually go into an uncharacteristic desire to lay off the carbs and eat only things that refresh me - Princess Tomatophobe is out in force. Less princessy is the fact that it's still me who has to cook after getting home from a long day at work, and so the notion of making something that's just as effortless and quick as it is refreshing and nutritious is one that circles frequently in my sun-addled mind.

Queue the idea for the most simple dinner in the world - sweet potato chips served with a big, gorgeous salad. That's it. Because that is simple, right?

Right?

So why does it take me at least an hour to make?!

A multi-ingrediental meal is one where those multi-ingredients need multi-washing, multi-prepping, multi-etc. The most innocent of salad ingredients are crafty enough to make you work for their goodness - I double checked this, because I made another version of the salad a week after the first, to confirm it wasn't me being ridiculously slow. I guess that's still up for debate, but the hypothesis has been tested.

That said - this is still a BEAUTIFUL thing to eat of a summer's evening, and I encourage you all to go and make it - today - now. But if you're rushed for time, maybe make it tomorrow instead.

I'm putting both salad examples below because the process is the same - one had kale and beetroot for a more earthy experience and the other had rocket and radish for something more zingy. To be honest, you can mix and replace the ingredients as you see fit - maybe blue cheese instead of feta, or butterbeans insetad of chickpeas - hell, throw in the whole lot and more if you're making the salad for several people (or plan to have a multi-portional experience of your own).

Not-So-Simple Salad & Sweet Potato Chips

1) Cut the sweet potatoes into chip shapes, and put them in a boiling pan for 5 mins. You don't want to overdo this, as they'll go mushy if you boil them for too long. Drain, and pour into a roasting dish. Dust with paprika, cayenne, rosemary and olive oil, toss it all about, and roast in a preheated oven (about 180C) for half an hour, or until nice and crispy.

2) Make the salad. First put the rocket, kale or whatever your base leaf is in a big bowl. Then the following order of what you put in doesn't really matter, but I always do it order of least messy to most messy - as remember, you're chopping as you go. That's celery, then radish if using, then chickpeas (or your desired bean), then walnuts (or your desired nut), then beetroot if using, then the cheese, then the avocado. Squeeze over half a lemon and give it a lovely big mix.

3) Make the dressing - in a cup, spoon your yoghurt, mustard and vinegar. Mix well and taste to see if you need to add a little extra of anything. This makes a beautifully creamy but LOW FAT dressing, and is one of my favourite, most simple inventions.

4). You're done. How did all that take an hour?!

Of course - it's been insinuated before and I'm fairly certain it will be again that I am not the fastest of movers. I'd be interested to know what time everyone else takes - from the very first peel of the potato right up to the second the dressing is poured over the salad. The race is on. Go!

Served: two people on the night with the chips, but the salad then lasted me for lunch for the next two days.
Took: It honestly took me about an hour. I know, I know...
Things that went wrong: when I told myself I'd be sitting down soon.