Carrot, Orange and Mint Salad

I like to have salad with most of my meals. A lot of the dishes I cook are soft – beans don’t have much crunch – and raw vegetables and/or nuts provide welcome crunch to a meal. They also taste good. The carrot, orange and mint combo is fresh, full of vitamins and vibrant in colour. I like it with Indian dishes and chilli. It’s also nice stuffed in a pitta with fallafel and hummus.

A note on grating: Grating carrots is boring. I admit that. You can slice, dice or chop them instead, if you prefer. Grated carrots are, however, particularly juicy and delicious. Grating them is worth the workout.

Servers: 2-4. Prep: 15 minutes. Cooking time: 0 minutes.
Stores: Up to 3 days in the fridge. Doesn’t freeze.

Ingredients

• 4 carrots
• 1 orange
• 1 sprig fresh mint

Tools

• Grater (or mixer with grater attachment)
• Salad bowl
• Chopping board
• Knife

Method

1. Trim the carrots, if necessary (remove the top and any dirty bits).
2. Grate the carrots and put in a bowl. I use the coarse side on my grater because it’s faster and gives more chew.
3. Peel and pith the orange.
4. Divide the orange into four parts and slice into thin slices.
5. Add the orange to the carrot.
6. Finely chop the mint and add to the carrots.
7. Toss and serve.

Variations

• Add brown: A handful of roughly chopped handful hazelnuts add good crunch and flavour.
• Add white: A finely sliced fennel adds contrast in colour and flavour.
• Add red: If you have raw beetroot in the fridge, grate half of one and add to the saled to add a deep, earthy flavour and interesting colour.