Apple cider vinegar has some remarkable health properties – it is anti-bacterial, it contains bone and muscle-friendly calcium and magnesium, it kills plantar warts, it strengthens immunity, it aids digestion of protein, it alkalizes the body, it relieves sore throats and sinus infections, it is a natural appetite suppressant, and it can greatly relieve the symptoms of arthritis. It makes a delicious dressing which goes well with most salads.

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
1 teaspoon dijon mustard
1 small garlic clove, chopped small or minced
Salt and pepper to taste

Shake the ingredients together until well blended and drizzle over salads, sandwiches, steamed vegetables, avocados or anything else you fancy drizzling it over.

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/2-1 clove garlic, minced
Salt and pepper to taste
1/2 teaspoon honey (optional)

Shake the ingredients together until well-blended. This goes well with any salad served with meat, since the lemon juice will help you to digest the meat. It also goes well with lentil salads.

1 avocado, sliced
1 carrot, sliced
1/2 cup fine green beans
1 cup salad leaves
1/2 cup arugula (rocket)
2 teaspoons sesame seeds

Dressing:

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon mustard

Heat the sesame seeds in a dry pan until they start to crack. Place the salad ingredients in a salad bowl. Mix the dressing by shaking the ingredients together in a jar with a lid until fully blended together. Toss the salad ingredients with the dressing and immediately mix in the hot sesame seeds so that they crackle and give off an aroma.

Capers are a favorite on Symi and are revered for their digestive benefits. They also add piquancy to the flavor of an ordinary Greek salad.

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar
1-2 cloves garlic, chopped small
2 fresh tomatoes, sliced
1/2 cucumber, sliced
1/2 onion, sliced thin
1/2 cup black olives
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
1 teaspoon oregano
2 teaspoons capers
1/4 cup feta cheese
sea salt and freshly-ground black pepper

Mix the oil, vinegar and garlic together to make a dressing. Mix together the other ingredients, crumbling the feta over the top. Toss with the dressing and season to taste.

1/2-1 cup green beans, lightly steamed
1/2-1 cup broccoli, cut into florets (raw or very lightly steamed)
handful of lettuce leaves – whatever good-quality, local, seasonal lettuce you can obtain
A handful of arugula (rocket) leaves
handful of black olives, pitted
3-4 artichoke hearts, from a jar or marinated
1-2 tablespoons sundried tomatoes (optional)
1-2 tablespoons feta cheese, crumbled
1 tablespoon sesame seeds

Mix together the salad ingredients apart from the cheese and sesame seeds, and pour the dressing over the top. Dry-fry the sesame seeds until they start to pop, then pour them over the salad – they should crackle and give off a delicious aroma as they hit the salad dressing. Toss the salad, crumble the feta cheese over the top, and serve. Serves 2.

This is, of course, a Mediterranean classic. It’s a great use for ripe red tomatoes grown on the vine which actually taste like tomatoes are supposed to taste like. The tomatoes provide the antioxidant lycopene which is thought to be one reason why Mediterranean men have low rates of prostate cancer.

4-5 large ripe tomatoes
A handful of fresh basil leaves, torn
Extra virgin olive oil or an olive-oil based salad dressing
Freshly-ground black pepper

Slice the tomatoes thinly and mix in a bowl with the basil leaves. Drizzle with olive oil or salad dressing and black pepper to taste. This recipe also goes well with avocados and/or thinly-sliced onion. Serves 2.

An important rule of Hot Spot cuisine is that the food should look colorful and appetizing. Combining the orange and purple of this salad with a green salad (such as the baby spinach, watercress and arugula salad, below) will make a very colorful, nutrient-dish and the two salads together will complement most savory dishes.

1-2 beets (beetroot), uncooked, peeled, and julienned or shredded
2 large carrots, washed or peeled and finely sliced/julienned
2 tablespoons cilantro (coriander), chopped small
2-3 tablespoons seeds (e.g., pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds)

Mix together, dress, and serve with an olive oil-based salad dressing. Serves 2.

Dark green leafy greens such as these are full of nutrients such as iron and folate and are full of taste with a bit of a kick.

1 cup arugula (rocket)
1 cup watercress
1 cup baby spinach

Simply mix the leaves together and serve with an olive-oil based dressing – this salad goes well with apple cider vinegar, lemon or balsamic vinegar dressings. Serves 2.

1/2-1 head fennel, sliced
1/2 cup artichoke hearts
1/2-1 cup cooked or canned green lentils
1 shallot, chopped very finely

Mix the ingredients together with an olive-oil based dressing.

2 zucchini
2 large carrots
1/2 tablespoon chopped dill
juice of 1/2-1 lemon
1-2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

For this salad you can slice the vegetables thinly, grate them, peel them in ribbons, or julienne them. Simply mix together, dress, and serve. Serves 2.

The Okinawans love their radishes and colorful, beautifully-arranged salads. This recipe goes well with Japanese dishes as well as with the Okinawan staple, the sweet potato.

2 spring onions
5-6 radishes
1/4 cucumber, with seeds removed
1/2 cup mangetout (snow peas)
1-2 carrots
1 stick celery

Dressing:

2 tablespoons sesame seeds, roasted or dry-fried for a short time
2 tablespoons tamari soy sauce
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
1-2 tablespoons cold-pressed grapeseed oil (or any unrefined cold-pressed oil which does not have a strong flavor)

Julienne the vegetables or cut them into ribbons and mix together in one bowl. You can also thinly slice the radishes into round slices if you prefer. Serve with the dressing – this can be spooned over the salad individually. Serves 2-3.

Seaweed is ultra-high in nutrients, and green, stringy wakame is popular in salads. This is just one of many variations on seaweed salad which is a staple in Japan and Okinawa.

1 cucumber, sliced thin
2 oz wakame seaweed, rehydrated in water
4 tablespoons rice vinegar
1-2 tablespoons sesame seeds, briefly roasted or dry-fried
1/2 teaspoon salt

Sprinkle the cucumber with the salt and set aside in a sieve until the cucumber yields its water, then squeeze to remove moisture and pat dry. Combine with the seaweed, sesame seeds and rice vinegar.

This is an easy, filling, delicious way to get a good dose of a wide range of nutrients including the Okinawan favorite, the sweet potato.

2 sweet potatoes, baked in the oven
3-4 cups salad ingredients of your choice – carrots, shredded beets, watercress, lettuce, cucumber, fennel, tomatoes, cucumber, herbs – whatever takes your fancy
2-3 tablespoons mixed seeds (e.g., pumpkin and sesame seeds)

Toss the salad ingredients in a dressing with the seeds. Serve with the sweet potato. Sweet potato is so moist it does not need butter, but it can be enhanced with a drizzle of the dressing. Serves 2.

Bean sprouts are popular in Okinawa, Bama and Hunza. Sprouting beans raises their nutrient content and makes them more digestible; sprouts are a very useful superfood to keep at home as you can simply throw a handful into salads or stir-fries to up the nutrient content. They will also make you feel fuller for longer due to their content of protein and fiber.

1 carrot, cut into juliennes
1/2 cucumber, cut into juliennes and with seeds removed
5-10 fine green beans, cut into juliennes
1-2 cups sprouts (e.g., alfalfa sprouts, mung bean sprouts, broccoli sprouts, etc.)
2 tablespoons chopped cilantro

Mix together and dress with your preferred dressing or with just a squeeze of lemon and a drizzle of olive oil. Serves 1-2.