by gwenzez | May 14, 2014 | leftovers, lunch, photography
It’s been a long, cold, and un-relentless winter, but it’s icy claws have finally released us! Sunshine and flowers and birds and green things are here once again, and it makes me crave fresh and light veggie-based foods. Last night for dinner, we had a family favourite… salad rolls. I think the kids like it as much for the flavour as for being able to make their own (very interestingly shaped) rolls.
Leftover vermicelli noodles, shredded carrots, sliced red peppers, iceberg lettuce, lots of cilantro and some peanut sauce, all piled on and rolled up into a rice paper wrap. Bring on the sunshine… I want to eat more fresh meals like this.
by gwenzez | Feb 27, 2014 | food porn, lunch, photography, salad
It is the fault of the cold weather. I have difficulty eating fresh vegetables when the ridiculously cold weather screams “Hibernate! Stuff your cheeks with calorie-packed goodness and go to sleep! I’ll wake you when it warms up.”. I listen to these histrionics all too easily, and then find myself deprived and craving greens.
Fill a large bowl with a bag of rocket, shredded carrot, quartered cherry tomatoes and diced avocado. If it’s really cold out, add some goat cheese so you don’t starve while tucked under the blankets waiting for spring.
by gwenzez | Nov 21, 2013 | food porn, lunch, photography
This week has been a write off as far as getting any work done… PA days, sick kids, doctors appointments, and I could go on, but I won’t. So! Three people (with very different ideas about delicious) home for lunch today. How to make one meal that everyone will eat and enjoy? Salad rolls is one of my favourite answers to that question. A bit more work than I usually put into lunch, but worth it for the fun.
To start, whip up some peanut sauce. For this one, I fried some chopped garlic and onions, added some chilli powder, water, brown sugar, and natural peanut butter. Let it thicken, then cool a bit, stir in fresh lime juice and set aside. Cook rice vermicelli, and set it aside to cool. Julienne your favourite fillings. We had carrots, yellow pepper, cucumber, lettuce, and avocado. For protein, I thawed out some pre-cooked shrimp, and for a flavour zing, there can never be enough fresh cilantro. All of this goes in the middle of the table. Bring a bowl of hot water, big enough to immerse the rice paper. Put them in one at a time, and when soft, pass them out to the assemblers/eaters. The kids get to pick their own fillings and have a blast making all sorts of unconventional ‘rolls’. My daughter likes to make ‘noodle purses’, while my son excels at ‘everything mash-ups’. No matter what the shape, it was all delicious.
by gwenzez | Nov 14, 2013 | food porn, leftovers, lunch, photography
I have a hard time eating salads sometimes. It bugs me when one mouthful is all greens, and the next one is all tomatoes or what have you. Perhaps I have issues, but I want to taste everything, in every bite, without having to perform a circus act on my fork to get it all into my mouth. For those reasons, this salad rocks, my, world. It is also a great way to use up odds and ends of veggies from your crisper.
In my crisper, I had purple onion, zucchini, mushrooms, carrots, red pepper and mixed greens, but feel free to put anything you want in. Chop it all up super fine and add the secret ingredients that take this salad from meh to awesome… Avocado and cheese (I used extra old cheddar), both diced finely. Mix everything up with some freshly ground black pepper, and I swear you won’t even notice this salad has no dressing. Try it. Really.
