What's for lunch? How to stop your salad from getting soggy before you eat it

Plus the Cork takeaway that's taking orders for healthy and delicious lunches

Stackable salads are a wonderful way to get your five a day.

Up until now, I have shied away from toting salads to work. The sheer effort involved in packing individual components in order to avoid a mushy slump when it comes to lunchtime seemed worth avoiding. Then, I discovered the joy of the stackable salad pot. The premise of this method is to layer your components in a jar or pot, keeping the dressing at the bottom, followed by the hardiest ingredients (those least likely to succumb to sogginess) in order of delicacy. Not only does it look gorgeous, but it's also a fantastic way to experiment with new flavour combinations, and use up the ends of vegetables that might have seen better days. 

When constructing my stackable salads, I make sure to include the following parts to ensure maximum deliciousness: something fresh and crunchy like cabbage or radicchio, something tangy like capers, olives or pickles, something bulky like cucumbers or tomatoes and finally, something crispy like roasted chickpeas or toasted seeds. Cheese or cured meat is non-negotiable for me, though I confess to storing that on the side and adding it at the very end, just before lunch. I like to air fry pieces of salami for five minutes and turn them into crispy, salty yumminess and sprinkle them on top of my salad with a flourish. They store well in the fridge for up to three days. 

Stackable Salads

recipe by:Ciara McDonnell

A handy way to use up loose veg - and a beautiful conversation piece at the lunch table!

Servings

4

Preparation Time

 10 mins

Total Time

 10 mins

Course

 Main

Cuisine

 Salad

Ingredients

• For the dressing:

• 4 tbsp olive oil

• 2 tbsp vinegar

• 1/2 tsp honey

• Salt and pepper

• For the salad:

• 100g cooked quinoa, couscous or bulgur wheat

• 1/2 cabbage, shredded

• 1 tin sweetcorn

• 1/2 red onion, shredded

• 2 vacuum-packed cooked beetroot, chopped

• 2 tbsp Pumpkin seeds or walnuts

• Handful spinach or rocket

• To serve:

• Feta cheese or air-fried salami

Method

1. To make the dressing, whisk all ingredients together and store in a small jar.

2. To assemble the salad, add 1 tbsp of the dressing to the bottom of the jar or container and layer the ingredients starting with the cabbage and finishing with the rocket or spinach. Shake the container before pouring into a bowl or onto a plate and scattering with cheese or cured meat.

3. Recipe note: To make a creamy dressing, mix four tablespoons of full-fat Greek yoghurt with two tablespoons of lemon juice and half a clove of crushed garlic. Season with salt and pepper and whisk to combine.

Vegan Pad Kee Mao from Camile Thai

Shelf Life

Camile Thai has just opened its second Cork premises in Douglas. 

Offering a fabulous selection for meat-eaters, vegetarians and vegans, we love this vegan pad kee mao (€14.99) - yummy rice noodles stirfried with Thai basil, a secret sauce and your choice of tofu or vegan chicken. 

If you order through the Camile app you can avail of lunch combo deals for €9.99 and the Douglas location is open from 12pm, making it perfect for a lunch delivery. 

• See more at camile.ie