Sexy summer salad

I was never a fan of Star Trek, but I have to agree with The Borg that resistance is futile, as resistance can be the compass that steers us to our soul’s true purpose. Let me explain further…..

A week ago I was invited to be a part of a kitchen demo at St Nicks market in central Bristol. Exciting! And this was literally my initial emotion and feeling as it’s exactly where I want to be taking the Fuss Free Foodie.

However. The next feelings that came about were fear and self-doubt. Feeling overwhelmed with the work going on at home and challenges with the children had left me feeling like maybe this wasn’t the right thing for me right now. The timing just wasn’t right.

I had a few days to commit to the slot, and I sought counsel from friends who know me. As one rightly said, I was just dealing with fear. And I acknowledged and recognised this. Another stripped away my rationalisations. If you weren’t overwhelmed with your kitchen and the kids would you pass up this opportunity? Of course, I wouldn’t, I’d be saying yes straight away. I quickly fired off an email to say I’d do it.

And here’s the thing. I listened to an interview with the author of the War of Art, a couple of months ago and he talks of resistance being the very thing that stops us being the person we are meant to be. That the actions that fill us with the deepest terror ARE the very things that we should be doing. Layers of conditioning, fears of failure, success and external judgments are what stop us from being internally directed.

I realised that this was what I was doing. The very thing I was resisting was what I needed to be moving towards, as it was closest to moving towards where I want to be. By listening to my own rationalisations I would have sabotaged this. As in the words of Steven Pressfield, our only job is to be the person who we already are. So when you feel resistance come knocking, don’t fight it, run towards it with open arms! You are right on course to getting out of your own way to find your true calling.

Let me know what you think to this week’s blog in the thread on the Fuss Free Foodie Facebook page or in the Fuss Free Foodie community, about the callings you are following or ones that you aspire to. If you would like to follow more daily what the Fuss Free Foodie is up to you can follow me on Instagram and Twitter too. Lisa

Caerphilly cheese, cherry and walnut salad

A handful and a half cherries pitted
A handful of walnuts (or pistachios) broken up
100g Caerphilly cheese, crumbled
Bag of mixed leaves, rocket or spinach leaves
Dressing:
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tbsp red or white wine vinegar
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1 tsp maple syrup
Salt and pepper

To make the dressing place all the ingredients in a jam jar and shake.
On a serving plate lay your leaves on the plate and tear the cherries and lay on top.
Drizzle over about half of the dressing and then sprinkle over the walnuts and Caerphilly cheese.
Serve with some lovely bread or alongside an awesome BBQ.

Pesto courgetti salad with feta and almonds

3 medium-sized courgettes, made into strips with a veg peeler, julienne or spiralizer
A handful of cherry tomatoes, halved if large
3 tbsp high-quality pesto
100g sheep’s cheese or feta
A handful of chopped parsley
A handful of almonds, roughly chopped (or walnuts would work too)
Half a lemon or tsp of white wine vinegar.
Take your courgettes and make the courgetti using whichever tool you have. If you don’t have one, just use a veg peeler to make long ribbons.
Add the courgettes to a bowl, along with the parsley and tomatoes. Then add the pesto and stir through so they are all coated. Season with salt, pepper and add the lemon or vinegar. Stir again and taste for the seasoning.
Place the salad on a serving plate and sprinkle over the nuts and cheese.
This is a great salad to eat in its own right, or with a piece of grilled chicken, or even a piece of salmon. Some people don’t enjoy fish and cheese, so you could leave the cheese out if serving with fish.