Boring-Lunch-No-More Salad

Lunch time during the week should be a minimal effort task and should hopefully involve something delicious! This salad is an easy go-to clean out your fridge and use what you have in your pantry kinda meal!

I can’t tell you the countless times I’ve wandered through the café lane-ways and food courts at lunch time staring at bleak salads, paninis over stuffed with greasy ingredients and finally settling for a sad sushi roll that’s going to do absolutely nothing for me. Sometimes I’ve brought delicious left overs and had a great time! Other days I’m broke AF and settle for the ol’ tuna and crackers in the break room while scrolling through Instagram.

Come on we’ve all been there, and we know it ain’t good.

So, here you go- have a look at this easy AF recipe, write it down and try it ASAP… you won’t regret it- I promise!

 

Boring-Lunch-No-More-Salad

Ingredients – these veggies are what I always have in my pantry/fridge, you can add more to this list!

Salad:

¾ cup Quinoa or brown rice (or both!)

½ Sweet potato

½ Broccoli

1 large Carrot

1 large Zucchini

Avocado

Baby spinach

Sauerkraut

1 teaspoon Garlic

Almonds and/or pepitas

½ cup veggie or chicken stock

¼ cup water

Dressing:

1 TbsTahini

3 TbsApple cider vinegar

1 Tbs Olive oil

Pinch Salt

1 Tsp Seeded mustard

Method:

  1. Preheat oven to 180 and line baking tray
  2. On the stove in a small saucepan add ¾ cup on quinoa to ½ cup veggie or chicken stock and ¼ cup of water. The stock gives the quinoa a really nice flavour and adds natural salt.

I like to cook my veggies in batches because they have different cooking times. The sweet potato and carrot can cook together, and the broccoli and zucchini can cook together.

  1. Dice carrots and sweet potato into small-medium pieces. Then toss in 1 teaspoon of olive oil and ½ teaspoon of crushed garlic. Arrange on baking tray and allow to bake for 10-15 mins. The veggies will be cooked when they are slightly golden and soft when pierced with a knife.
  2. Cut broccoli in to florets and zucchini the same as the carrots and sweet potato. I always use the broccoli stem I just make sure to peel off the outer skin and cut off the very bottom of it. Then dice like zucchini. Toss veggies in 1 teaspoon of olive oil and roast for 10 mins until zucchini is golden and broccoli floret slightly darker in colour.

DON’T FORGET TO CHECK YOUR QUINOA

  1. Combine cooked veggies in separate bowl
  2. If you don’t have a blender for the dressing don’t stress this can be made with a regular whisk. Combine all dressing ingredients and whisk or blend until smooth.
  3. Roughly cop almonds and pepitas to sprinkle on top!
  4. So if you’re doing this the night before I would keep the salad components separate so nothing goes soggy (ew!) but when you’re assembling toss together quinoa, baby spinach, avocado and roasted veggies. Then add the dressing and toss again.
  5. Top with almonds, sauerkraut and protein!

Just a little note for you also; feel free to add whatever protein you like (if that’s your jam)! Mine would be a boiled egg, smoked salmon or some left over roast! Make sure you’ve got your food prepped to because once this is done, making this salad is an absolute breeze and with the added sauerkraut it’s also really good for your gut!

That’s it my ladies! Get your butt outside, find a beautiful lunch spot and grab yourself a chai with almond milk, and enjoy this delicious salad!

Bon Appétit!