To be honest, I didn’t know if I could write this article. You see, at the moment, the most inspirational woman in my life is currently dying and every day I witness her deterioration because I am now her full time caregiver. My mum (age 50) got diagnosed with an incurable terminal illness on the 28th of January, 2015 with a life expectancy of 6 months or less.
My mother is inspirational to me, not because of fame or fortune, but because of her unconditional love of people and animals. I have always admired her strength because she has found living in this world such a struggle.
I truly believe some people just can’t handle the cruel and harsh realities of this world; so much abuse and destruction. Instead of turning a blind eye, my mother took the weight of the world on her shoulders, leaving herself open and vulnerable, which in the end made her ill.
My mum is the type of person that would give you the clothing off her back or the last pennies in her purse. She gave so much to charity, brought the homeless into her house for a good meal and a wash, and looked after so many strays and unwanted cats left at her door step.
My mum is my best friend, my rock and even in these final weeks (hopefully months) her strength continues to shine through.
My mum loved to cook and so I’d love to share with you a recipe that my mum taught me.
We don’t have an official name for this recipe so I am going to name it as “Sally’s zing-licious salad” after my mum.
This salad is supposed to be eaten “wet” but if you are not into soggy lettuce you can pour the dressing just before you eat.
Personally we like to let the salad sit in the dressing for a minimum of 4 hours, so all the flavours are absorbed and marinated. For me it’s best eaten the next day. The flavours are so delicious that you just want to lick the plate!
What you need for Sally’s zing-licious salad
For Salad:
Mixed salad leaves
Rocket
2-3 bunches of fresh coriander (aka cilantro)
2 x onion finely chopped
5-10 ripe tomatoes depending on size
1 x cucumber finely chopped
Chopped pickled garlic cloves (we love our garlic so do roughly about 10)
For Salad dressing:
1-2 cups extra virgin olive oil
2-3 fresh lemons sliced and squeezed
Salt & black pepper
1-2 tsp French mustard (the old type that has mustard seeds in it)
Some of the chopped garlic from above.
Optional:
Feta cheese finely chopped
Halloumi cheese finely chopped
What to do:
Combine all the ingredients for the salad into a salad bowl. (Add the cheeses if using them)
In a jug combine all ingredients, mix well and taste. Add more mustard/lemon depending on personal taste. Once satisfied with the taste, pour the mixture into bowl and mix well, then cover and leave to marinate for as long as possible (this is hard for me to to-do!!)
We like to eat ours with boiled potatoes, avocado and olives, but you can dish it up with anything. The leftover dressing also makes a delicious sauce for dipping fresh bread.
Making this salad always puts a smile on my face and helps me remember all the great times I enjoyed while helping my mum in the kitchen chopping ingredients.
At the moment we are teaching my 10 year old daughter how to make it as well. Watching mum teach my daughter is a special memory that I know she too will cherish when she is older.
I hope you enjoy eating this salad as much as my mum and I do, and i would love to hear from you to hear what you think!
Happy Post Mothers day to all you special ladies!!
Danielle Alinia
Beauty, Fashion and lifestyle blogger at Danielle did what?
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