Happy Leons: LEON Happy Salads

Product Information

Leon was founded on the twin principles that food can both taste good and do you good. In this book, Leon authors Jane Baxter and John Vincent bring together 100 recipes for fresh, vibrant, delicious salads that will have you feeling healthy and happy. In conclusion, I really loved this book, but the salads we had the first week were far superior to the ones the second week. My mouth is watering thinking of the superfood salad and the tabbouleh, but the least said about the halloumi and avocado salad the better. This is actually the third Leon book I own, after Leon Vegetarian and Leon Friends and Family (actually, I own one of their minis too, but the least said about that the better - it's basically just a collection of recipes from other Leon books, most of which I already had). I've actually been really disappointed with my other Leon books which is such a shame when I love the brand so much. I haven't been able to pinpoint what it is I've not liked, but many of the recipes I've tried have either been a bit dull or a bit uncreative, which aren't words I associate with Leon at all.

But I was really excited to hear about Leon Happy Salads. Salads are, pretty much, my favourite thing to get from Leon (except for the sweet potato falafel hot box which is my all-time favourite, but is that kind-of a salad?). I honestly really tried to resist buying this but let's face it, I have no willpower when it comes to buying recipe books. There were plenty of recipes I fancied though - absolutely loads for vegetarians and many that could be easily adapted. I filled three post-it notes (signs of a good book) with recipes I wanted to make, and planned to cook from the book almost constantly for two weeks. Things I noticed were:I was disappointed to find most of the recipes only serve 2 as I like to have leftovers for lunch most days to save me having to make extra lunches for work. I also found a whole section called Lunchbox of salads that only serve 1 - and some of these are a lot of work! I would have preferred a section called Lunchbox to have recipes that made several portions and kept well during the week. Both the Lunchbox-section recipes I tried I ended up tripling! Trim and wash the beetroot, then place on a baking tray with a good drizzle of olive oil and 50ml of water. Season and bake, covered with foil, at 180C/350F/gas mark 4 for about 1 hour. Once cooked, the skins should come away easily. Cut the beetroot into wedges.

My first thought though was, "will salad be enough for dinner?" and I thought there was going to be a section at the start with ideas of what to serve with some of the salads. I definitely found a mix of salads that seemed "enough" for dinner (those with a main protein or grain) and some that seemed like more of a side. I was excited from the get-go with loads of yummy-sounding vegetarian recipes and several recipes that could easily be made vegetarian or pescatarian.

Tried & True

Divided into chapters that include Classics, Naturally Fast, Salads for Friends, Family Salads and Lunchbox, this book contains salads for all tastes and all occasions. Whether you're looking for a bright salad with which to dazzle your friends, or a simple salad to take to the office, this book is a must-have kitchen staple.