Food, unplugged: Moorish crunch salad

If, like me, you like your salads fresh, crunchy and bold you will love this. I was going through one of Jamie Oliver's cook books on a lazy Sunday afternoon when a picture of Her Crunchiness just screamed at me. It looked so delicious, so easy, so enticing I had to make it. I love more substantial, warm salads like any other person (you guys know how I heart my potatoes), but I was really in a mood for something crunchy and super healthy. I won't lie, folks, there's a lot of chopping involved, so make sure your knives are sharp! I find chopping veggies therapeutic and weirdly relaxing (until my knife slips dangerously, nearly chopping my finger off, that is) but it's quite time consuming, so I might get myself a mandoline slicer (pretty soon). If you don't have a mandoline and don't trust your knife skills you can use a vegetable grater. Easy peasy.

You can find the original recipe here, but of course I had to make some small adjustments, adding a few chopped almonds, lamb's lettuce and serving the salad with grilled chicken strips.

To make enough for two people you'll need:

5-6 carrots, peeled
5-6 radishes
1 crunchy eating apple (I used a Granny Smith)
a small handful of freshly chopped parsley and mint
a handful of lamb's lettuce
a handful of sultanas
a few chopped almonds
3-4 tbsp sesame seeds
salt and pepper, to season

2 small chicken breasts
1 tsp smoked paprika

Dressing:
1 tsp sherry or red vinegar
2 tsp tahini paste
2 tbsp olive oil

Start off by washing and chopping all the veggies: chop carrots into matchsticks (or small strips), thinly slice radishes, core and thinly slice an apple. Place in a big salad bowl with herbs and lamb's lettuce, add raisins and almonds and set aside.

Slice the chicken breast lengthwise into long strips, season with salt, pepper and smoked paprika and fry on a small heat in a grill pan until cooked through.