This salad is a snip, but then one would hardly expect a salad to cause trouble. Using a lemon rather than just lemon juice as an ingredient makes for the most fabulous salad regardless of leaves. And by all means, serve it as a starter rather than a follow-up on the main course. It is fresh, sharp, vegan and delicious.

Ingredients

• 1 lemon
• ⅓ cup fresh mint leaves, finely sliced, more for garnish
• 1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 8 ounces baby spinach leaves
• 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil 

Preparation

1. Cut off top and bottom of lemon, and slice off skin and pith. Cut lemon flesh into rounds 1/4-inch thick, then slice each round into eighths.
2. In a salad bowl, combine lemon, mint, and salt. Season with pepper to taste. Add spinach and oil, and toss well. Garnish with additional mint, and serve.

Nutritional analysis per serving (6 servings)

71 calories; 6 grams fat; 0 grams saturated fat; 4 grams monounsaturated fat; 0 grams polyunsaturated fat; 2 grams carbohydrates; 1 gram dietary fiber; 0 grams sugars; 1 gram protein; 126 milligrams sodium

Recipe courtesy of Nigella Lawson