I am a big believer in planning. Life is so much simpler when you know what tasks you need to complete on a daily basis. I also find the process of ticking off completed tasks incredibly therapeutic. It's probably not surprising to learn then that I enjoy meal planning. I shop for groceries at the start of every week according to a meal plan regardless of whether I'm in Doha or Seoul. Meal planning is also a great way to save money and ensure you don't waste food.
But sometimes your plans change and you find yourself left with too many vegetables. Meat can usually get popped into the freezer but there's no salvaging surplus veggies. So what do you do when you inadvertently buy too many vegetables? You create your own vegetarian lunch buffet, of course!
Here's what I cooked up for a weekend lunch earlier this month.
Clockwise from top:
- Wholewheat truffle and basil toasts: cut a slice of leftover wholewheat bread into sticks; drizzle with truffle oil and chopped basil (I had chopped frozen basil in the freezer) and pop the sticks into a pre-heated oven at 100°C for about 30 to 40 minutes.
- Cut capsicum
- Onion quickles (fridge pickles): slice half an onion; pop slices into a jar with a big glug of red wine vinegar or other vinegar of choice, one cup of hot water, aromatics of choice (I used about a teaspoon each of mixed peppercorns, dill seeds, mustard seeds and some red chili flakes), plus a teaspoon of salt and sugar; leave in the fridge for a few hours and then drain and serve.
- Organic pearl barley: boiled according to package instructions.
- Steamed, buttered and seasoned broccoli
- Sautéed mushrooms
- Roast maple carrots: Roast carrots marinated in olive oil, splash of pure maple syrup, salt and pepper for about 30 minutes in a greased pan at about 225°C; wiggle pan half way to ensure carrots are evenly cooked.
- Mashed chick peas: Soak two cups of dry chick peas overnight; pressure cook (or stove-cook) the chick peas according to package instructions, then drain. In a pan, heat some sesame oil and sauté half a chopped onion and a chopped tomato; add salt, pepper, a teaspoon of garlic powder and some chili flakes and allow the mixture to soften and come together slightly. Add chick peas and allow them to soften as well. Take chick peas off the heat and allow the mixture to cool for a few minutes. Pop into a food processor and process until smooth; add a couple of glugs of sesame oil along the way. You can obviously use tinned chickpeas instead. If you do, omit the soak and preboil/pressure cook step. If you go for canned chick peas, please choose a preservative-free option - my favorite brand is Mr Organic available at Carrefour and Lulu Hypermarket in Doha.
- Sauteed kale: made according to this recipe.
Here are some tips for creating your own lunch buffet:
- Include grains: quinoa cooked with a stock cube, barley, farro, freekeh and brown rice are all good options.
- Pulses, such as chick peas, kidney beans or cannelloni beans make for excellent additions. You can make a bean salad, have them plain or mashed.
- Cut veggies always work well.
- Add savory elements, e.g. quickles, toasts and condiments
- Include steamed vegetables.
- Add some roast root vegetables - roast sweet potatoes work great too.
- Warm elements work well too; I will add curried cauliflower to our next veggie buffet.
I hope you enjoy creating your lunch buffet as much as we did! The best part? No need for portion control - with a meal this healthy, you can easily enjoy a guilt-free 'all you can eat lunch'.
Happy chomping!
