Making friends with salad
3 easy (and tasty!) dishes to increase your veggie intake
Meal preparation is difficult as a shift worker, in any capacity. Whether you’re working days, nights, or a mixture of both, the last thing you want to decide at the end of a long shift is what to cook for you and your significant other(s).
Preparation is my best friend and there are several staples that I always try to have in the fridge or pantry that will last for at least the week ahead.
These include:
● Spinach +++
● Quinoa or rice sachets
● Tins of corn and beetroot
● Hummus
● Tomatoes
● Sweet potato, potato, pumpkin
● Zucchini, eggplant, mushrooms
● Tofu or salmon
● Avocado Reality Check
Using the above listed staples (also pictured), I prepared a variety of three vegetable based meals suitable for dinner, lunch or anything in between.
Buddha Bowls
Buddha bowls are extremely easy to make and can be made within minutes, to have instantly, or for multiple meals ahead.
First phase you need some sort of base. This can either be greens, such as spinach or lettuce, or grains such as rice or quinoa. Or, both. I also like to add some corn kernels on top of the base for extra flavour.
Second phase add whatever you like! Raw, steamed or roasted vegetables, nuts, seeds, cooked meat or fish – literally whatever you like. Buddha bowls are different to a salad bowl in that you keep things segmented purely for aesthetic purposes, well that’s my reasoning anyway. It’s also a way of keeping flavours separate if you’ve gone to the trouble of marinating or cooking things in a variety of ways. Again not necessary, but I find this adds to the appeal when it comes time to eat.
The two variations were stacked with red quinoa, corn and spinach as the base. Topped with roasted eggplant, sweet potato, zucchini, onion and pumpkin, half an avocado filled with a scoop of Jalapeno hummus, picked red onion and beetroot. These were absolutely loaded with variety, however normally when I make them, I have about half of these options and they are still delicious.
The vegan one was then finished with marinated grilled tofu, the other with smoked salmon.
Extra Tip: Tofu Marinade - mix together equal parts:
● Natural peanut butter
● Sesame oil
● Soy sauce
● Sweet chilli sauce
Pita Pockets
These delicious pockets were simply filled with some chickpea and corn fritters, hummus and chopped cucumber, tomato and onion. You could easily substitute the fritters for chicken or lamb, if desired, and the hummus for tzatziki or Greek yoghurt. But the verdict from my partner was that they were perfect without meat. These simple and cost effective pockets are ideal for lunches, and can be prepped in advance the night before, served straight from the fridge, or cooler bag if you are on the road.
Roasted Veggie Stack
First Phase thinly slice your pumpkin, eggplant, mushroom, zucchini and sweet potato, drizzled with some olive oil and herbs, and place onto a baking tray in the oven for about 20 minutes until they soften.
Phase two place a dollop of hummus on the plate, topped with spinach and then layers of roasted vegetables and beetroot slices. The roasted mushroom cups go on top. Done.
Extra Tip: Veggie Scraps
● Get a large ziplock or freezer bag
● Save all of your veggies scraps and add them to the bag
● Keep the bag in the freezer and continue adding veggie scraps to it
● When full, boil in a pot of boiling water
● = Homemade veggie stock!
I hope you’ve enjoyed reading about these dishes as much as I enjoyed eating them!
Author: Anna Jannsen
The opinions expressed in this article are the author's own and do not reflect the view of the ESSSuper.