Balanced Vegetarian Lunchbox Ideas

Honey Pumpkin Pancakes with Avocado and Strawberries

I took this meal with me to my school visit. I think my teaching assessment, literacy and numeracy didn't go horrendously, haha. We also moved house successfully, which is also a plus. Sorry, the avocado isn't included in the photo but I took it the night before and didn't want it to brown too much.

You will need:

Strawberries

1/2 avocado

1 egg

Mayonaise (optional)

Pumpkin Pancakes covered in honey/maple syrup/peanut butter/etc

Hidden Vegetable Tomato Sauce

I have a teaching assessment in 1 hour to see if I'm suitable to do a post graduate degree of primary schooling. Wish me luck.

This makes enough for 10 servings (fills two 1kg yogurt containers), so reduce if you're not freezing or making it for a lot of people. 

You will need:

3 cans crushed tomatoes

200 grams tofu, chopped (optional)

150g tomato paste

1/2 celery finely chopped

4 small carrots finely chopped

2 onions finely chopped

2-3 portobello mushrooms or 1/2 dozen button mushrooms chopped

1 eggplant chopped

1 capsicum chopped

Handful of silver beet/spinach chopped

1/2 handful of parsley

1/2 handful thyme

1/2 handful marjoram

 4 teaspoons crushed garlic

salt and pepper to taste

Fry onion, celery and carrot for 5 minutes until soft. Add all other ingredients, other than the fresh herbs, tofu, and silverbeet and cook until the mixture starts changing colour and everything becomes soft, about 25 minutes. Add herbs, tofu, and silverbeet and cook until they wilt. 

Let cool, so it's no longer hot enough to melt plastic, and then puree in a food processor or blender.

Serve with pasta, in lasagne, on pizza, or with any other dish that requires tomato sauce. It may be slighter darker in colour to actual tomato sauce, but tastes almost the same.

Stuffed Butternut Squash

Based on this recipe. The second time I made this I found that doubling the feta and olives gave it far more flavour. Also increased the cooking time of the cooking time of the squash to an hour because it's still pretty hard after 45 minutes. Serves 2.

You will need:

1 butternut squash, chopped in half

1 tomato, chopped

1 carrot, gratted

1/2 capsicum, chopped

1/2 onion, chopped

1/2 lemon, juiced

1 cup quinoa, cooked

100g chopped olives

200g crumbled feta

50g parmesan 

50g roasted pine nuts

handful of chopped chives

1 teaspoon crushed garlic

dried oregano

olive oil

 Preheat oven to 180 degrees. Fry onion and capsicum until soft or add along side butternut squash in the last 10 minutes of baking.

Cover butternut squash halves in olive oil and dried oregano. Bake for 1 hour until soft. 

Mix all other ingredients together while squash cools down a bit.

Scope squash out of it's shell and mash. Add to mixture and re-stuff the shell.

Banana, Coconut, Strawberry Smoothie

Serves 2. Can be made vegan as the amount of bananas added make this very creamy without the yogurt. Very sweet without added sweeteners.

You will need:

1 cup strawberries

2 bananas

1/2 cup coconut milk

2 tablespoons yogurt

Pumpkin Soup

Adapted from a recipe curtesy of my flatmate's dad, this delicious pumpkin soup has just the right amount of savoury and sweet flavours. I like my soup quite thin, so if preferred, reduce the liquid. My flatmate recommends to cook the pumpkin in large pieces as it's much easier to remove from the skin.

1 butternut squash chopped into large even pieces

4 cups stock

2 cups water

1 cup milk

2 pealed finely chopped onions

1 tablespoon sugar

2 cloves crushed garlic

1 teapoon nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon salt

Fry onions for several minutes. Add stock, water and pumpkin pieces and bring to a boil then turn down to low. Cook until pumpkin is soft (about 30 minutes).

Remove pumpkin pieces and leave to cool for approximately 10 minutes. Remove from skin and puree until smooth with cooking water. Add spices and bring to a boil. Add milk and serve with sourdough bread and sour cream.

Pasta Salad Lunch

The salad takes about 30 minutes to prepare and will last the whole week. You will get plenty of healthy fats and protein from the feta, avocado and almonds, lots of minerals from the greens and vitamins from the oranges. I haven't got the time to bake this week, so I bought some of my favourite hundreds and thousands biscuits.

You will need:

Biscuits

Homemade Apple Sauce

Boiled eggs

Spoon

For 1 weeks worth of salad:

3 cups pasta

1 1/2 cups chopped kale/other leafy vegetable

1 1/2 cups chopped baby broccoli/asparagus/green beans

4 pealed and chopped oranges

2 pealed and chopped avocados

100g sliced almonds

100g feta

For dressing:

juice of 2 oranges

1/4 cup vinegar

1/4 cup mayonnaise

handful chopped coriander/cilantro

1/2 teaspoon honey

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

1/4 teaspoon onion salt

For the salad: Boil the pasta according to packet instructions. Steam the greens for several minutes so that they're still crisp.

Mix together dressing ingredients. (Shake in a jar to get it properly mixed). Combine vegetables, almonds, feta, pasta, and dressing. Keep in fridge for up to 3 days.

Rainbow Salad

One of my favourites. Based on this recipe. My lovely flatmates decided that they needed to be included in this rainbow salad blog post, so here they are. Had a job interview yesterday which I think went well because I was given a tour of the building afterwards and was introduced to all of the staff members. Going on holiday to Taupo next week. Life is good.

You will need:

4-6 chopped bell peppers of all colours 

1-3 chopped tomatoes

1 large chopped red onion

3 ripe chopped avocados

1 can corn (or 2 cobs fresh corn kernels)

1 can black beans

1 cup feta

dressing:

1/2 cup olive oil

1/2 cup apple cider vinegar

2 tablespoons water

1 tablespoon onion salt

1 tablespoon garlic powder

1 tablespoon dried herbs

1 tablespoon sugar

Mix all dressing ingredients together and combine with vegetables and cheese. Cover and let marinate for at least 3 hours. Keeps for up to 5 days in the fridge.

Edamame Macaroni and Cheese

It's probably impossible to make a 'healthy' version of mac & cheese. However with whole meal pasta and veggies this one probably is less likely to be as heavy on your stomach.

You will need:

1 1/2 cups whole meal macaroni  

1 1/2 cups macaroni

2 cups shelled edamame beans

2 finely chopped leaks

4 cups (1 litre) milk

3 tablespoons flour

3 tablespoons butter

1 teaspoon nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 cloves crushed garlic

1/2 teaspoon dried herbs

2 cups grated cheddar

2 cups grated gruyere

2 slices of toast

Preheat oven to 180 degrees. Cook pasta according to packet instructions.

In the mean time heat milk till it's hot but not boiling. On medium heat melt butter in a large pot. Add flour and heat for several minutes, stirring continuously.

Using a whisk slowly add the milk bit by bit stirring continuously to stop lumps from forming. Once all the milk has been added, add salt, garlic, nutmeg and the herbs. Keep whisking continuously until the mixture thickens. Now take it off the heat and slowly add the cheese (retaining 1/4 cup of each type of cheese). 

Fry chopped leaks until soft. Add edamame and fry for a few more minutes.

Now mix the pasta, cheese sauce, and vegetables together and put into a baking dish.

Finely chop or grate the toast, either by hand or with a food processor. Mix together with the remaining cheese. Sprinkle on top of the pasta.

Put the dish in the oven for approximately 30 minutes or until the top is golden brown. Serve with cold fresh tomatoes.

Minty Winter Fruit Salad

Just because it's winter doesn't mean you can't enjoy a delicious juicy meal. The mint contrasts well with the sourness of the lime and the sweetness of the honey. At the same time both the honey and lime stop the fruit from browning. 

You will need:

1/2 pineapple

2 oranges

2 pears

5 kiwifruit

2 handfuls of grapes

1 plum (or other stone fruit you can get your hands on in winter)

dressing:

juice of 1 lime 

1 tablespoon of honey

4 tablespoons boiling water

2 tablespoons finely chopped mint

Vegetable Soup

I ended up not adding the cabbage or chow mein noodles. This wasn't because I thought they won't go well with the other ingredients. It was just because I couldn't fit anymore in my flat's 3 litre pot! Bit of a shame, however I still ended up with 6-8 servings of soup.

You will need:

2 chopped leeks

4 chopped potatoes

2 chopped carrots

1 cup of chopped green beans

1 chopped red/yellow capsicum

1/2 cup purred pumpkin

1 can crushed tomatoes

1 can creamed corn

2 cups cabbage/spinach/etc

1 1/2 cups dry beans (soaked and boiled for 45 minutes) or 2 drained and rinsed cans of mixed beans

packet of noodles (any kind, makes it more filling, but it is optional)

juice and skin of 1 lemon

3 cups stock

4 cloves crushed garlic 

1 tablespoon dried herbs

2 bay leaves

butter/oil to fry

salt and pepper to taste

Fry leeks for 5 minutes. Add potatoes and carrots and cook for a further 5 minutes. Add garlic, herbs, lemon juice and skin, pumpkin, creamed corn, crushed tomatoes, capsicum, beans, bay leaves, salt, pepper, and stock.

Stir and bring to a simmer. Turn down to low and leave to cook for 30 minutes or until the potatoes and carrots are soft. Remember to top it up with water/stock if it gets too low and stir occasionally.

My take on Black Beans and Rice

It is the middle of winter in New Zealand at the moment. I live in the capital of the country and it is known for being one of the windiest cities in nz. Therefore it gets very cold, even if the temperatures rarely go below 0 degrees celsius. A hot meal in a thermos makes a wonderful lunch in these instances. Just heat it up before you leave for work and you're good to go.

For 5 servings will need:

2 cups brown rice

5 cups hot vegetable stock or water

1 can drained, rinsed black beans

1 can crushed tomatoes

150g tomato paste

1 chopped onion

2 crushed garlic cloves

1 teaspoon cumin

1 teaspoon paprika 

1 tablespoon butter/margarine

1/4 cup wine (optional)

Oil to fry

Fry onion until soft. Add rice, garlic, and butter and fry for a further minute or two. Add wine and quickly stir to evaporate. Add stock/water, mix, and bring to a boil on high. Cover fully, turn heat down to low and leave to simmer for 45 minutes. Turn off heat and leave to stand for 5 minutes.

Once the rice is cooked add spices, beans and tomatoes. Store for 3-5 days in the fridge, so you can eat it throughout the week. You can serve it with cheese, sour cream, and/or avocado, however it still tastes delicious on its' own!

Vegan Chow Mein

Sorry for being so slack with the posting guys! Just have been busy mucking round with the aquascape of my goldfish tank. But I have been keeping a record of what I've been making! This chow mein is adapted from this recipe. I just used whatever vegetables happened to be fresh from the market place.

I used:

2 chopped and peeled carrots

8 chopped brown mushrooms

1 red capsicum

3 chopped stems spring onion

1 cup chopped green beans

1/4 chopped savoy cabbage

250g chopped canned water chestnuts

1 tablespoon crushed garlic

1 tablespoon crushed ginger

Sauce ingredients:

1/4 cup hoisin sauce

4 tablespoons vegetable stock

3 tablespoons soy sauce

2 tablespoons honey

Dried chili to taste

Slow Cooker Strawberry Vanilla Porridge

I shall put up the finished photo tomorrow as I haven't had a chance to take a photo of it. It basically looks light pink and tastes (surprise, surprise) like strawberry.

You will need:

2 cups rolled oats

3 cups strawberries

4 cups coconut milk (2 cans)

1 T vanilla essence

1/4 cup honey (or whatever sweetener you have lying round)

Apple Raspberry Pineapple Smoothie

Don't skimp on the bananas if you make this one, unless you don't have much of a sweet tooth.

You will need:

1 cup rasberries

1 cup canned/fresh/frozen pineapple 

1/2 cup stewed apple

2 bananas (one frozen, one fresh preferred)

Handful of kale

1 cup orange juice

1 cup milk

2 tablespoons yogurt

Simple Pizza Base

I've been wanting to do a post about pizza bases for a while now, so here we go! I typically use a variation of this recipe. I usually use wholemeal flour instead for more fiber, and honey for a hint of sweetness. You can add herbs or garlic, depending on what flavour you want, it's up to you.

You will need:

4 cups wholemeal flour

1 1/2 cups warm water

2 teaspoons active dry yeast

2 tablespoons honey

1 teaspoon salt

3 tablespoons oil

Mix flour and salt together.

Dissolve honey in 1 cup boiling water. Add an addition 1/2 cup cold water and check that it is not much warmer than your skin (otherwise you'll kill the yeast!) Add yeast and stir. Leave for 2 to 10 minutes until it's nice and frothy.

Add to flour mixture and mix until just combined. Then add oil and mix until fully combined.

Kneed dough for about 10 minutes until it's smooth and elastic. Tip: try the 'window' technique. If you can stretch out a small piece of the dough thin enough to see through it, it's been kneaded enough.

Cover a bowl with a tiny amount of oil. Cover the dough with a tiny amount of oil. Put the bowl with the dough in a warm area of the kitchen and cover with a dishcloth. Leave for 30 minutes until it doubles in size. I always found the little space below our oven being a good place to rise dough. It's pleasantly warm, dark and has no drafts, exactly what yeast wants!

Once done, divide the dough evenly, give it a gentle kneed and leave to rise a second time (isn't necessary, but does add to the texture of the dough).

Can be stored up to a week in the fridge and freezes well. I have found I can make 6 mini pizzas out of this recipe, or 3 normal sized ones. My bases are usually quite thick though.

It takes approximately 8 minutes to cook a base.

MIni Pizza with Yogurt and Almonds

Oh god, sorry for not updating yesterday. I was so tired I ended up falling asleep with the light on.

This was so good! Maybe I'd just been craving pizza, but after tramping up and down the rugged hills of the wildlife sanctuary today in the freezing rain it was delicious. With a homemade wholemeal crust it's pretty damn healthy too.

What you will need:

mini pizza base (make your own, or buy it)/english crumpet/pita pocket

1 mushroom

1/5 bell pepper

1 artichoke (or other favourite pickled pizza topping)

humus

tomato sauce

cheese 

some fruit (I took some mandarines today, might take grapes or a persimmon with me later in the week) 

nuts 

yogurt 

cranberry, chocolate oat biscuit

For the pizza, put on the tomato sauce and humus on the base, add chopped vegetables and cheese and bake for 8 minutes in the oven at 200 degrees celsius.