Is this a “salad”??……..gosh I dunno. I feel like I’m really pushing it with this one. But what actually does constitutes a salad? Does it have to have a leafy base, a dressing, raw ingredients, cold???

I know, I know, we’re delving into the great, deep mysteries of the universe here, but imma go right ahead and call this a salad because A) it’s my blog 😉 and B) it’s the genre I think it generally falls into. Here’s why………..

• Can you have it as a side dish – yes
• Is there veg in it – yes
• Is it cold – yes
• Is there a dressing – kinda, yes

Ok, so we’ve established that this is a somewhat salad – but it’s not your leafy, tasteless, borefest salad and it’s PERFECT to accompany a bbq and any kinda of meat.

I recently posted my easy peasy Russian Salad here and I think we’re beginning to see a pattern….I’m not one for a boring salad. We call them a ‘Joey salad’ in work, because they are just a concoction of things I enjoy. Isn’t that what cooking, and indeed life, is all about!

This nut salad is inspired by one I tried almost a decade ago. A work colleague made it and used different ingredients, but the outcome remains just as satisfying. Her version used KP roasted peanuts, but I didn’t have them to hand. Feel free to use these and omit the spices in this recipe.

Instead, I had lots of salted mixed nuts in the house, which I rinsed off, air dried and then flavoured in my own way with Cajun spices. I’m literally thinking as I type, that these would be amazing flavoured with curry powder, mayo, mango chutney and spring onions…..hmm, that’s gonna be my next version…..anyhow, I digress.I can’t tell you how wonderful this is with meats like sausages, chicken, lamb, steak – really anything on the bbq is fab with this side dish.

What’s more, it’s an easy 5 minute job that you can leave in the fridge overnight so the flavours develop further.

Here we go

Ingredients

• 400g plain mixed nuts (rinse off the salt under a tap if you need to and leave to dry on a paper towel)
• 80g peas (I used frozen)
• 80g sweetcorn (again, frozen is fine)
• 3 tbsp. mayo
• 1 tsp each of paprika, Cajun mix and cumin
• Salt and pepper

Method

1. Mix it all together in a dish!!! LOL – that’s it!!!!
2. It’s best if it marinates and mingles together for a while, but you can serve this straight away too.