It is warming up! Or it should be! And thoughts are turning to the summer and healthy salads. We raided the store cupboards for this little gem.

Andrew: I remember sorry salads with limp lettuce, tasteless tomatoes and bad excuses for boiled eggs.

Dawn: How much do you alliterate?

Andrew: Plentifully! Though I’m making the point. Salads can be fun, colourful, tasty and vibrant.

Dawn: Well, fire away!

Ingredients

Serves 2

1 day old ciabatta roll (or any day old stale bread)

1 garlic clove

2 chicken breasts cut into 1 cm pieces

1 tsp chilli flakes (optional)

A handful of rocket

A handful of spinach

1 fresh vine tomato

A few sundried tomatoes, sliced

6-8 cherry peppers (these can be found in jars near sundried tomatoes, or on a deli counter)

Olive oil

Salt and pepper

Method

• First, make your giant croutons. Slice the ciabatta into 1 cm slices, cut the garlic in half and rub the cut side on both sides of the bread.
• Fry these gently in a little olive oil until golden brown on both sides, and then set aside.
• In the same pan, fry the chicken with the chilli flakes, until thoroughly cooked.
• In your salad bowl, arrange the rocket, spinach and croutons, then give a good stir with your fingers to mix everything up.
• Slice the fresh tomato, and lay slices alternately with pieces of sundried tomato.
• Add the cherry peppers, season with salt and pepper, and if you wish drizzle some of the oil from the sundried tomatoes as dressing.

Andrew: This has a real kick to it!

Dawn: The cherry peppers are quite fiery, aren’t they? My advice? Add or subtract according to taste.

Andrew: A teaching metaphor!

Dawn: See! I’m learning fast!

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