Salads really don’t have to be boring. I say this like a mantra because I believe that if you make different ones, you will stay excited about them.

This weekend I made a lovely biltong salad for lunch and it was delicious and filling. My boyfriend lives near a Spar that has lovely barbeque spiced biltong and I have come to rely on this steady supply of protein in my life.

This salad really was a combination of fresh salad greens and pepper. I’ve since made it twice and as I type this I’m eating one with nuts and a fresh slaw. The possibilities are endless with salads.

Did you know: Biltong is a rich source of protein, is low in carbs and is high iron. Biltong is cured meat that originated from South Africa in the early 1600s. Dutch settlers later refined the recipe in the 1700s. It’s similar to the United State’s jerky, but cut thicker and saltier.

Ingredients for 2 portions

1/2 bag of lettuce

1/2 yellow pepper

1/2 avocado, chopped

1 stick of celery, chopped

15 cherry tomatoes halved

25 grams sliced biltong (lean)

cucumber slices, halved

1/2 wheel of feta, diced

dried chickpeas

1 tsp poppy seeds

a handful of cranberries

salad dressing

Method

1. Start by layering your salad by roughly breaking the lettuce leaves at the bottom of a large bowl.

2. Sprinkle tomatoes, cucumber, celery and peppers.

3. Add biltong, avocado and feta.

4. Sprinkle poppy seeds, cranberries, and chickpeas generously over your salad.

5. Pour over with a salad dressing. I used honey mustard.