Summer Pasta Salad with Sun-dried Tomato Dressing

Fancy something different for lunch? As I mentioned a few posts ago summer to me means salads and whilst I love fresh garden salads any day of the week sometimes I crave a more hearty salad. In this salad recipe I use little past shapes to increase the carbohydrates but its still light enough to enjoy on its own.

The soft pasta, pairs well with the crunch of the red pepper and the tangy dressing. To make it a little different I've used chives, both stalks and flowers, the flowers are so pretty and taste amazing too.

Ingredients - Serves 3-4
200g pasta, small shapes work well* 
½ Red pepper, finely diced
16 Basil leaves, shredded
16 Chive stems, finely cut
3 Chive flower heads, optional
Dressing
2 Tsp Sun-dried tomato paste
2 Tbsp Red wine vinegar
1 Tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 Clove of garlic, chopped
Salt & Pepper

*If you can't find the little pasta shapes, orzo (like a large grain of rice) works well too.

Method
Cook the pasta as per cooking instructions, drain and rinse in cold water. While the pasta is cooking, prepare your other ingredients.

To make the dressing add all ingredients to a food processor and process until you have a smooth dressing.

Add the herbs and red pepper to a bowl and add the cooked and cooled pasta, toss everything together.

Pour over the dressing and stir to combine. Serve straight away.

Roasted Vegetables and Couscous Salad

This recipe is great for a working day lunch, you can prepare it on a Sunday and box it up ready to grab on your way out the door on Monday. Too easy! Its great hot or cold so if you don't have a microwave at work its no problem. 

I also prepare a green salad and box that up too, both will last in the fridge for 3 days or more. All you need to do at lunch is heat the couscous salad up (if you want) and serve with a green salad, sometimes I push the boat out and have a dollop of houmous too. I like to drizzle tahini sauce or a vegan mayonnaise & balsamic dressing on the top. Perfect!

Ingredients (Serves 4)

1 Onion, cut into half moons
1 Red pepper, cut into strips
1 Green pepper, cut into strips
150g Mushrooms, quartered
1 Tsp Paprika
1Tsp Garlic granules
1 Tsp Ground cumin
1 Tsp Chilli flakes
¼ Tsp Ground coriander
¼ Tsp Turmeric
1Tbsp Tomato purée
160g couscous
8 Cherry tomatoes, quartered
1 Small tin sweetcorn, drained

Method

Add the onion, peppers and mushrooms to a roasting tin and spritz with a little oil.

Add ½ a teaspoon of the paprika, garlic granules, cumin, chilli flakes and add the remainder of these herbs to a jug along with the coriander and turmeric.

Stir the vegetables so that they are all coated with the spices and roast in a moderate heated oven for 15 minutes or until the vegetables are starting to char on the edges.

Meanwhile add the tomato purée to the spices in the jug and fill with boiling water so you have 200ml of liquid. Stir so that everything is combined.

Add the couscous to a glass bowl and add the spiced tomato purée liquid, give everything a quick stir and leave to stand for 5 minutes.

Fork the couscous to separate the grains and add to a large bowl. Add the cherry tomatoes and sweetcorn and mix so the sweetcorn is evenly distributed.

Once the vegetables have roasted add to the couscous mixture and give everything one last stir.

Serve with salad leaves and a tahini dressing, houmous or vegan mayonnaise and balsamic dressing.

Specials Board: Three Cucumbers Salad with Basil & Lime Dressing

Three Cucumber Salad & Vegan Mofo Day 5

This year has been a mixed bag where cucumbers are concerned. I have tried to grow three varieties, and all three have had their difficulties. The Cucamelons took so long to germinate, I nearly gave up on them two times but I kept persevering and gave them the love and attention they obviously need and finally the little seedlings started poking through the soil. Once the plants grew stronger there was no stopping them. The plants didn't have a great deal of foilage but I have been lucky enough to harvest twice so far and I think I'll get one more harvest from the three plants that I kept. I gave a couple of plants away to, so out of the 10 seeds I was lucky enough to have 5 healthy plants. Not bad for something that I nearly gave up on twice! 

The other two varieties I grew weren't as good! The Lemon Crystal Cucumber variety the yellow ones in the picture below, were extremely stubborn! Unfortunately I lost 4 plants early in the season, I think I over watered if I'm honest, I was that worried about them being thirsty, with all the dry weather we were fortunate to get, but I probably gave them too much water. Thankfully I gave my Mum two plants and I managed to hold on to another plant. The two plants I gave my Mum have absolutely thrived and she has had lots of cucumbers on her plants. Mine? Absolutely none! Oh well that's the beauty of giving plants away at the start of the season, you get some of the produce back as a thank you!

The third variety I tried to grow, which I've had huge successes with in the past was Marketmore, which is a pretty bog-standard cucumber, but absolutely nothing this year. Even the plants didn't make it, let alone produce any fruit. I was gutted! Absolutely gutted!

To make this three cucumber salad I had to use a shop bought cucumber too, but it was in the reduced items area so I didn't mind. Plus Marco LOVES cucumber so he got a treat too!

Now, I can hardly call this a recipe when all the dish consists of is three types of cucumber and some lettuce from my garden! So to perk it up I created a tangy and upbeat dressing to go along with it.

Basil & Lime Dressing

Ingredients - Serves 4-6 (depending on how much dressing you like on your salad)
100ml Soy yoghurt
20 Basil leaves
½ Tsp Dried parsley
1 Tbsp Lime juice
½ Tsp Lime zest, finely grated
10g Cashews
Salt & Pepper to taste

Method
Put all the ingredients into a blender and whiz up into a smooth dressing. Pour over the cucumbers and lettuce.

The cashews will thicken your dressing if left in the fridge but this is then great used as a dip or spread. If you don't want your dressing to thicken then omit the cashews.

Summer Solstice Salad

Happy Summer Solstice!

This morning I set my alarm for 4:30 am, yes 4:30, so I could watch the sunrise on the longest day of the year. I was hugely disappointed as it was so cloudy I never actually got to see the sun but the sky was pink, orange, yellow and a smokey purple just beautiful.

As I watched the sun rise through the clouds I completed 8 repetitions of the sun salutation yoga sequence as a celebration to Summer Solstice; the doorway to the second half of the year.

But before we all start thinking about the nights drawing in and Winter fast approaching as we've reached the longest day of the year, stop and immerse yourself in the glorious season we call summer.

Invite your friends around and throw a party, sit outside and enjoy the long days and warmer evenings. If you're a kitchen gardener like myself you'll be harvesting plenty and enjoying the fresh tasting home grown food you have put all that care and attention in.

Today I made my Summer Solstice Salad, I don't just eat this once a year, that would be silly! But as this is the longest day it is packed full with colour, flavour and of course health benefits.

Ingredients - Serves 2 as a main or 4 as a side

100g Broccoli, cut into florets 
85g Salad leaves
75g Carrot, shredded
135g Mixed peppers, cut into strips
¼ Cucumber, cut into ½ moons
6 Cherry tomatoes, halved
Juice of 1 lemon
250g Cooked grains*
75g Basil tofu, cubed
1 Tbsp Extra virgin olive oil
1 Tbsp White wine vinegar
1 Tsp (heaped) Vegan Pesto
4 Tbsp Soy cream - I used the light version
Salt & Pepper

*As I was busy in the garden I didn't have much time to spend in the kitchen so I used one of my go to store cupboard ingredients; A packet of "Waitrose Love Life Spelt, Quinoa, Red Rice & Wild Rice". It can be eaten hot or cold and is a blend of 4 grains.

Method

First make the dressing for the salad, in a blender add the basil tofu, extra virgin olive oil, white wine vinegar, vegan pesto and soy cream and blend. Add 1 Tbsp of the lemon juice and a good grind of black pepper and a little pink Himalayan salt and blend again. Transfer to a screw top jar and store in the fridge until ready to serve. 
Note: If you don't want to use soy cream you could make a batch of cashew cream and use that instead but I chose to use soy cream as I had limited time.

Steam the broccoli until just cooked, drain and set aside to cool. Arrange the salad leaves on a large plate and sprinkle over the carrot and peppers. Top with the cooked and cooled broccoli and cucumber slices. 

Dress the cooked grains in the remainder of lemon juice and mix. Make a small well in the centre of the salad leaves and fill with the cooked dressed grains. Arrange the cherry tomatoes around the cooked grains and serve with the dressing on the side.

This salad is very filling and I only managed to eat a quarter of the above before I had to admit defeat! I think I was in too much of a rush to get back to my gardening :o)

Rainbow Salad

April Showers have featured highly this month where I live but in between there has been a few spells of glorious sunshine too. So much so, I've actually watered my garden to nurture my seedlings. I love seeing a rainbow after the showers have died down and the sun comes back out to play. So to celebrate our beautiful rainbow I decided to make a rainbow salad, which features foods from all colours of the rainbow.

OK so the blue isn't 'blue' but the vinaigrette is based on blueberries which are and it tastes delicious so I've excused myself!

So here's what I used for each colour:

Red: Tomatoes, roasted red peppers and a hint of chilli
Quarter 12 cherry tomatoes, cut 2 roasted red peppers into strips and finely dice ¼ red chilli. Carefully mix all ingredients together. Serves 4 as part of the rainbow salad.

Yellow: Pasta salad with sweetcorn, yellow pepper and diced onion
Cook 100g of pasta of your choice as per cooking instructions, drain and rinse with cold water and drain again. Finely dice 1 yellow pepper and 1 onion and add to a bowl. Drain a small tin of sweetcorn and add to the bowl. Spoon over 4 Tbsp vegan mayonnaise, zest of 1 lemon, ¼ Tsp garlic granules and a pinch of turmeric. Mix together before adding the pasta and stir to coat. Serves 4 as part of the rainbow salad.

Pink: Beetroot houmous - Recipe can be found here

Green: Salad leaves with spring onion, olives and celery

Purple: Purple coleslaw with red cabbage, red onion and beetroot
Finely shred 250g red cabbage, cut 1 red onion in half and finely slice and grate 150g cooked beetroot. Mix with 4 tbsp vegan mayonnaise, 1Tsp wholegrain mustard and salt & pepper. Serves 6 as a side.

Orange: Carrot noodles with orange pepper strips and an orange dressing
Using a julienne peeler make carrot 'noodles' from two carrots and cut ½ orange pepper into strips, mix and sprinkle sesame seeds over the top. (I forgot to do this for the photo - I was far too hungry to even think about it). To make the orange dressing pour 100ml freshly squeezed orange juice into a clean jam jar. Add 1 Tbsp cider vinegar, 1 Tbsp rapeseed oil, ½ Tsp maple syrup and salt and pepper. Screw on the lid and shake to mix all the ingredients. Serves 4 as part of a rainbow salad.

Blue: Blueberry vinegar made into a blueberry salad dressing
Pour 300ml cider vinegar into a saucepan and add 250g blueberries and 1 Tbsp Agave Nectar. Squash the blueberries with  a potato masher so the skins split and bring to a steady simmer. Simmer for 5 minutes and pour into a clean sterilised jar and leave to cool. Store in the fridge over night then strain the vinegar into a clean jam jar and discard the blueberry pulp.
To make the dressing for the salad add 4Tbsp of the blueberry vinegar into a clean jam jar and add 3Tbsp extra virgin olive oil, 1 Tsp light tahini and a pinch of herbamare. Screw on the lid and shake.

Asian Fusion Salad

Here is the last recipe from the February Menu I posted at the beginning of the month, Asian Fusion Salad. I don't normally like fruit in savoury dishes, pineapple on a pizza is a no no, but I need to push my taste boundaries and so I included a fruit in this dish. I was absolutely amazed with the results, I ended up making more dressing just so I could dip more plums into it! Now that is progress!


                                                         Ingredients - serves 2
Marinade:
1 Tbsp Sesame Oil
1 Tbsp Soy sauce
Dressing:
2 Tbsp Sesame Oil
1 Tbsp Chilli oil
2 Tbsp Sweet chilli sauce
1 Tbsp Lime juice
Salad:
100g Mixed leaf salad
2 Choi Sum, finely shredded
1 Red onion, finely sliced
4 Cherry tomatoes, sliced
1 Carrot, cut into matchsticks
2 Victoria plums, quartered and sliced
2 Tbsp Fresh coriander, finely shredded
1 Block Smoked Tofu

Method
First, drain the tofu and press for at least half an hour to remove the excess moisture. Once the tofu has been pressed slice into 6 slices. Pour the marinade ingredients into an oven proof dish and mix to combine. Add the tofu and turn so that both sides are coated with the marinade. Bake in a moderate oven for 15-20 minutes, turning once.

To make the dressing  comibine all the ingredients into a small jam jar and shake vigorously (after putting on the lid of course) so that all the ingredients amalgamate. Put to one side

Arrange the salad leaves on two plates and top with the red onion and choi sum. Add the tomatoes, carrots and plums and sprinkle with the coriander. 

Once the tofu has cooked, cut each slice in half and arrange on top of the salad. Garnish the salad with a twist of cucumber if you wish and pour over the dressing.

Enjoy!

Other February Menu recipes include:

• Chicory, Pear & Walnut Salad
• Curried Parsnip Soup
• Spinach & Sage Soup
• Stuffed Nutty Peppers
• Spinach Pasta Topped Mushrooms
• Vegetable Stacks with a Homemade Tomato Sauce
• Mushroom Risotto
• Spinach and Mushroom Pie
• Creamy Vegetable Pasta
• Three 'Cheese' Cauliflower & Broccoli Bake
• Chocolate Mousse

The menu for March will be posted soon, and there is so much to celebrate in March!

Valentines Dinner

I promised you a menu for Valentines night and here it is, and its a five course meal too! All good healthy food with a little bit of naughtiness for pudding!

Appetiser: Vegetable Stacks - Serves 4

This is just a pure and simple stack of vegetables with a tasty tomato sauce to finish it off. The best of it is after you've sliced up the vegetables you need, the sauce is made from the remainder. It's a no waste recipe. If you have any left over sauce it can be used with pasta, I'll post the recipe soon. 

This recipe males 4 vegetable stacks so you could halve the recipe if you want to only serve two (after all it is Valentines!) or you could serve the 2 remaining vegetable stacks with wedges and salad to make it a main meal the next day.

Ingredients
1 Aubergine 
1 Courgette
1 Red pepper
4 Large mushrooms
1 Onion
160g Cherry tomatoes
2 Tsp Dried parsley
1 Clove of garlic
1 Tsp garlic puree
1 Tsp Tomato puree
Salt & Pepper


Method

First turn on your grill to high, then prepare the vegetables. Thickly cut 4 slices of aubergine and 4 slices of courgette. Quarter the red pepper and de-stalk and peel the mushrooms. Arrange the slices of  aubergine, courgette, red pepper quarters and mushrooms on a grill pan and put under the grill.

After 5 minutes (or more if required) turn the vegetables over. You will probably need to remove the aubergine and courgette slices first while the red pepper skin blackens and the mushrooms cook.

Finely dice the remaining courgette and aubergine along with the onion and add to a pan with a little olive oil. Saute for 5 minutes or until the vegetables are soft. Add the cherry tomatoes, garlic and parsley and stir to combine.

Add the garlic puree and the tomato puree and stir again. Cook until the tomatoes have reduced and you are left with a thick sauce.

Remove the red peppers from the grill and put in a plastic bag and leave for a couple of minutes. This helps with the removal of the skin.

Turn the mushrooms over again so that they are able to collect their juices in their middles. Once the mushrooms are cooked pour the collected mushroom juice into the tomato mixture.

Pour the tomato mixture into a blender and blend until you have a smooth sauce, add salt and pepper to taste.

Serve the stack with the tomato sauce and enjoy.

Soup: Creamy Spinach & Sage - Serves 4

I first made this for my sister when she was suffering with tonsillitis, after researching foods to help heal the illness. The soup is very creamy but light, so it's perfect for a 5 course meal and you certainly don't need tonsillitis to enjoy it!

Ingredients
1 Tbsp Olive oil
1 Onion, finely diced
24 Sage leaves, shredded
3 Cloves of garlic, crushed
500g Frozen spinach
250ml Hot water
1 Tsp Vegetable bouillon powder
60g Cashews
250ml Almond milk, unsweetened

Method
Saute the onion until translucent, add the garlic and shredded sage leaves and saute for another 2 minutes, turn the heat down a little you don't want to burn the sage or garlic.

Add the frozen spinach and continue to cook until the spinach has started to break down a little. 

Add the vegetable bouillon powder to the hot water and pour over the spinach. Continue to cook until the spinach is completely broken down. Bring to the boil and simmer for 2 minutes.

Leave to cool a little before transferring to a blender, add the cashews and almond milk and process until completely smooth.

Pour back in to a clean saucepan and reheat before serving.

Salad: Chicory, Pear and Walnut - Serves 2

Some people don't like chicory because it is quite bitter, but pair it with sweet pear and a sharp tangy red onion and it's a taste sensation. Well, I think so anyway!

Ingredients

1 Head of chicory
1 Pear
1 Red onion
Handful of spinach leaves
Handful of walnut halves

Dressing
5 Tbsp Olive oil
1 Tbsp Red wine vinegar
1 Tbsp Lemon juice
1 Tsp Dijon mustard
Salt & Pepper to taste

Method

Lay the spinach leaves on a plate and top with a few chicory leaves. Slice the red onion thinly and arrange on top of the chicory. Slice the pear length ways and halve and arrange the pear halves on the plate. Next scatter the walnut halves on the top. To make the dressing, put all ingredients in a screw top jar or bottle and shake well. Pour the dressing over the salad and serve at once.

Main Entree: Mushroom Risotto - Serves 4

I don't know about you but I love risotto, especially mushroom risotto. It's the perfect Valentine meal, with all that love, care and attention it is given while you make it. 

Ingredients
100g Wild mushrooms
2 Tbsp Vitalite
1 Tbsp Olive oil
1 Onion, finely diced
1 Clove of garlic, crushed
400g Mixed mushrooms, diced
1 Tbsp Mushroom ketchup
50ml Vegan white wine
300g Arborio rice
2 Tsp Porcini powder
1 Litre vegetable stock
1 Tbsp Parsley, finely chopped
3 Tbsp Nutritional yeast

Method

Fry the wild mushrooms in 1 Tbsp of Vitalite and the Olive oil for 3 minutes, then remove with a slotted spoon and reserve. 

Add a splash more of olive oil if needed and saute the onion until translucent, add the crushed garlic and saute for another minute.

Add the chopped mushrooms and cook for another 4 minutes before adding the mushroom ketchup. Stir and add the white wine, cook for another minute. 

Add the rice and stir so that it is coated with the liquid in the pan and cook until the rice has soaked up most of the liquid. Add the porcini powder and stir to combine.

Add a little stock and stir, once the rice has soaked up the stock add a bit more at a time until you have used half of the stock. Add the parsley.

Continue adding a little stock at a time until all the stock has been used and your rice is cooked. Add the nutritional yeast and stir through the rice. Add the remaining Vitalite and beat into the rice, this will give the risotto a shine. 

Serve the risotto with the reserved mushrooms as a garnish. Any left overs can be heated up the next day although you will need to add some more stock or water.

Dessert: Chocolate Mousse - Serves 2

Chocolate mousse made out of avocados isn't new, its all over the internet. I have tried a few recipes but they have just not been to my liking. So, I started from scratch and wrote everything down that I added and I kept adding until I was happy. Once I got the consistency and taste to my liking, I made it again making sure that I hadn't missed writing anything down. The secret to a good vegan chocolate avocado mousse in my opinion is..........sweet freedom choc shot! 

Ingredients

1 Avocado

25g Cocoa powder

1 Tbsp Maple syrup

1 Tsp Vanilla paste

70ml Almond milk

2 Tbsp Choc Shot (heaped)

1 Strawberry for decoration

Method

Add all ingredients except from the strawberry to a blender and process until smooth. You will need to stop the machine a couple of times and scrape the mixture down from the sides. Be sure that everything has been pureed you don't want any surprise avocado pieces in the chocolate mousse!

Slice the strawberry and tweak the top of each slice to make it resemble a heart. Spoon the mousse into serving glasses and top with a strawberry heart.

Happy Valentines Day for tomorrow!

     

Lunches to take to Work

Well, like many of you I'm back at work tomorrow after 2 weeks off, which has been lovely. It's meant that I have been able to enjoy time with family and friends and take Marco on longer walks than normal, bliss!

Getting something to eat for lunch in the small town where I live is rather difficult so you need to be organised and take a packed lunch to work with you.

Whilst putting together a menu plan for next week I thought it might be a good idea to share my top ten ideas for a vegan packed lunch.

1) Bean & Noodle Salad

I made this during Vegan Mofo on a Work with it Wednesday theme. I never used to like peanut butter, I'm still not a massive fan but I have come a long way. I used to retch after tasting just a little dollop, I'm sure this stems from a very early memory. At my friends 6th or 7th birthday, we were all blindfolded and given something to eat and we had to guess what food it was. I was sick after tasting peanut butter for the first time! However, I am pleased to inform that it's a work in progress and I am using it more and more.

2) Houmous
Houmous is so versatile and so easy to make yourself in no time at all. You can eat it with vegetable sticks, such as carrots, celery, red pepper or cucumber. Or eat it with crackers, I like it with the No-No Guacamole crackers, but any vegan crackers are good. My all time favourite though is in a sandwich or granary baguette with lettuce, tomato, spring onion, beetroot, pickled gherkin, olives and vegan mayonnaise. Absolutely delicious. If you fancy making your own houmous try this recipe.

3) Refried Beans
Like houmous, refried beans can be used as a dip with vegetable sticks or crackers. I also use it when making fajitas, chillis or even a spicy cheese sauce! For lunch though when you need a go to lunch that is quick, you cant beat a wrap with refried beans, salad leaves, cherry tomatoes, cucumber and a drizzle of sweet chilli sauce. This is easy so easy to put together using store cupboard and fridge staples.

4) Falafals
These can easily be sourced in most supermarkets but be careful some brands aren't vegan. They can easily be made at home too although I've never posted the recipe that I always use. [Note to self must photograph and post recipe]. Again these can be enjoyed with salad or in a wrap with rocket, homemade tomato salsa, sweet chilli sauce and vegan mayonnaise. They always feature as part of a picnic too! Whether it is a simple lunch for Mum or a vegan girls lunch!

5) Bean Sushi
Now you don't have to use beans in your sushi, but once again I put this together during Vegan Mofo and the beans worked really well. Try it and see what you think. In this version I used green beans, avocado and grated carrot but there are plenty of other ideas out there. I've also used shredded lettuce mixed with a little vegan mayonnaise instead of the beans which works well too. Other combinations include cucumber, carrot and smoked tofu strips or basil tofu strips, red pepper and marinated aubergine. Just try a combination of three ingredients and serve with a little wasabi or pickled ginger and you have a very tasty lunch. Your work colleagues will be envious.

6) Mushroom Tart
Puff pastry is a handy thing to have in you fridge or freezer, especially the ready rolled version. It can be used to whip up a tasty tart in just a few minutes. Be careful which puff pastry you buy though as not all are vegan, I use the 'jus roll' puff pastry which is vegan as long as you don't buy the "all butter" variety! The mushroom tart can be enjoyed hot or cold and I've used leftovers as a packed lunch many a time. This recipe uses just three ingredients to whip up a tasty topping and is seasoned with salt & pepper. There are plenty of other tasty combinations you can use to top puff pastry, why not try Mediterranean vegetable medley, red onion caramalised tart, or puff pastry pizza. 

7) Broad Bean Pate
This is one of my more popular recipes and I'm not surprised because it is delicious even if I say so myself. I have been know to eat it before it even makes the plate! Serve with crusty bread, salad or as one of a number of dips. 

The plus side is that I have found broad beans are one of the most easiest vegetables to grow. You can't get fresher than picking your own and within 5 minutes cooking them and making a delicious pate. 

If you haven't tried this then it's a must, go buy some broad bean seeds and sow to your hearts content.


8) Olive Tapenade
Yet another vegan pate come spread depending on how smooth you like it. You can buy this ready made and even vegan varieties, but in my experience it tastes so much better when you make it yourself. Serve with crusty bread and enjoy your lunch in a sunny place, it will transport you back to Greece in an instance, well it did me! Of course when you make it yourself no fish are harmed, the majority of Greek tapenade contains anchovies, so I'm told. 

9) Guacamole
Yet another dip, I feel there is a pattern emerging here! Dips are so easy to transport, and all you need is a vehicle to scoop them up with! When that dip is guacamole there is no other vehicle than a tortilla chip in my eyes. Now, that doesn't mean you have to go out and buy a bag of chips full of nasty MSG, you can make your own using pitta bread or flour tortillas. Cut them up to the desired size and bake in a low oven until crisp, simples. If you want to jazz them up a little spritz with a little olive oil spray and sprinkle with paprika, chilli, garlic or mixed herbs.

10) Lettuce wraps
I suppose you can stuff anything into a lettuce leaf, but I rather like them stuffed with a Thai coleslaw. It is crunchy, light and refreshing with a hint of spiciness. Of course you don't have to use it as a stuffing it's very nice on its own with salad and grilled tofu. 

If you don't fancy the Asian variety coleslaw you could always make the traditional variety but make it more colourful by using red cabbage instead of the traditional white cabbage. 

Use different vegetable combinations and make your own, influenced by flavours from a different country. Why not try Chinese Five Spice with water chestnuts, babycorn, spring onion and beansprouts.[Note to self, must try this combination!]

I hope this has given you some great healthy lunch ideas, of course if you have access to a kitchen and a microwave to heat food up the world is your unharmed oyster!