Category Archives: Lunch

Multicultural food experience is one of the things I enjoy living in Melbourne. I’ve definitely gained many culinary experiences since I moved here. It is so great you can explore authentic foods from different countries in one city. Many immigrants like myself would agree that the way the dishes are prepared, cooked and served here is not exactly same as the traditional ones are, but I think it is inevitable to have a bit of fusion to adapt Australian culture.

I’m experimenting and mixing up different ingredients in my cooking as well like this grain salad. The only way of eating rice used to be simply cooked in a rice cooker or making a rice porridge when I was back home. I never thought about adding rice into salads, which has become one of my favorite ways of jazzing up a boring veggie salad. I’m also using exotic spices that I didn’t even know the names or how to use them. The flavours as well as their healing power in different spices is so amazing. I used brown rice, mung beans and toasted buckwheat in this salad for different textures, but feel free to use any legume or beans you have in pantry. I made a big batch and served a little warm for a lovely simple supper. Then I had leftovers for work lunch next day as you can easily leave it in fridge and serve cool. Either way really is delicious!

Ingredients

1 cup of brown rice
1/2 cup of mung beans
1/2 cup of toasted buckwheat
1 caramelised beetroot (1 tbsp olive oil, 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar, 1 tbsp brown sugar)
1 cup of chopped parsley
juice from 1/2 lemon
1 tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp wholegrain mustard
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp smoked paprika
1/4 tsp turmeric
salt and pepper to taste
handful of pepitas

Soak brown rice and mung beans overnight or at least 4 hours. Place brown rice, mung beans and toasted buckwheat in a pot, cover with cold water, bring it up to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer for 15-20 minutes or until cooked. Drain and set aside. Heat olive oil, balsamic vinegar and brown sugar in a pan and add diced beetroot. Cook on low-medium heat until caramelised. To assemble the salad, place cooked grains, beetroot and parsley in a large mixing bowl. Add olive oil, lemon juice and spices. Mix well to combine. Check seasoning and transfer to a serving bowl. Sprinkle pepitas on top.

I have a habit of making batches of salads that will last me next few days. I keep telling myself I’ve got to eat more a variety of foods though when I’m addicted to something, then I tend to stick to that for a while. When my main meal is salads, I want it to be interesting, delicious and full of good stuff. So here I am. I cooked like a storm in my little kitchen and put up a few different salads on a plate, which I think is beautiful and vibrant. It is also wholesome, healthy and nutritious. I have to admit it took me an hour plus cleaning up a mess I made in the kitchen. But if you can invest an hour or so on cooking like this, your life gets easier at least next couple of days. If you or someone you know is struggling with addiction, consider seeking help at https://alcoholaddictionrehab.co.uk/. Bam! Work lunch and dinner is sorted.

Let’s discuss how this plateful of goodness was made up.
Spicy Chickpea and Pumpkin Salad: I soaked chickpeas in cold water for about 10 hours. Do this before you go to bed or when you leave to work in the morning. Quickly rinse and cover them with water in a pot and boil for 15-20 minutes until cooked. Meanwhile, heat coconut oil in a frying pan over medium heat and add chopped pumpkin. Sprinkle cayenne pepper, smoked paprika, cumin, sea salt and ground pepper. Drain cooked chickpeas and add to a frying pan. Add a bit of more smoked paprika over chickpeas and stir well. Take it off the heat once pumpkin and chickpeas are browned and cooked.

Mediterranean Rice Pasta Salad: Boil rice pasta for 8-10 minutes to al dente and drain. Roughly chop sun-tomato, black olives and parsley and mix with cooked pasta in a large bowl. Simply drizzle e.v.o.o and season with salt and pepper.

Stir-fried Cabbage and Red Onion: Finely chop green cabbage and red onion and cook with coconut oil in a frying pan until browned. Season to taste and sprinkle caraway seeds and sesame seeds.

Tzatziki: Mix thick Greek yogurt, chopped cucumber and chives, lemon juice and sea salt in a bowl.

Slaw is a raw crunchy salad where all the vegetables, mostly variations of cabbage, are julienned and dressed with either creamy or vinegar based sauce. Although I am a veggie lover, I don’t even go near coleslaw at a house party or picnic because the soggy vegetables lathered in creamy mayo just don’t appeal to me. This slaw, on the other hand, is crunchy, healthy, vibrant, colourful and delicious. A big bowl of raw cabbage slaw with a simple dressing plus a sprinkle of hemp seeds is a perfect go-to green salad.

Hemp is a new ingredient for me that I just started experimenting. Knowing it comes from cannabis plant family and is not for human consumption kind of has put me off, though I wanted to find out what all the fusses are about. From what I have read on the internet, hemp has amazing health benefits, and some people even use CBD for stress relief. Hemp seeds contain all of the essential amino acids making them an excellent source of vegan protein. The essential fatty acids are abundant in hemp seeds and come in a healthy anti-inflammatory 3:1 ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 fat, that is highly beneficial to humans. It is also a rich source of disease-fighting, plant-based phytonutrients and anti-aging antioxidants, such as vitamin E, which help protect your immunity, bloodstream, tissues, cells, skin, and organs. It is also a great alternative for kratom which you can get in kratom for sale and surprisingly has a beautiful nutty and creamy flavour, great for salad toppings, adding in your cereal or smoothie and  in raw desserts. Sprinkling on salads is by far my favorite way of using them. When seeking support for addiction, it’s essential to choose a facility that prioritizes personalized care and effective treatment options, such as this company, which specializes in alcohol rehab. You can find hemp as a great alternative for kratom at https://inpatient-rehab.co.uk/. Also, this rehab centre offers a variety of options and support. They even provide at home detox services for those seeking recovery in the comfort of their own space.
Ingredients (serves 2-4)

1 cup of shredded savoy cabbage
1 cup of shredded purple cabbage
1 carrot
1 bunch of parsley
1 tbsp olive oil
lemon juice from 1/2 lemon
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1/2 tsp whole grain mustard
1 tbsp maple syrup
salt and pepper to taste
2 tbsp hemp seeds

Prepare dressing by whisking all dressing ingredients in a small bowl. Mix the shredded cabbage, carrot and chopped parsley in a large bowl. Pour the dressing over salad and gently massage with clean hands. Transfer to a salad bowl and sprinkle hemp seeds.