Middle Eastern Salad- Eating on the Road

We were watching of all things a show about fast food in foreign countries a while back. (Yea… I know) and were surprised to hear that in the Middle East this was something that big chains like McDonald's and even Subway, needed to add to their menus to catch on locally. (Sad that they are there at all but that's another topic.) This salad is a staple in some countries and especially for breakfast, an idea I rather liked. It caught my interest and I did some researching, even before the show was over.

It goes by different names: Israeli Salad, Arabic Salad, Palestinian Salad and probably others I am not aware of but rather than get into this hot bed of debate I decided to call it just Middle Eastern Salad.

It has some very simple fresh ingredients like tomatoes, cucumber, lemon juice, and herbs like parsley and mint and of course there are many variations as well. I decide to whip this up to take on our trip and it filled in quite well for many snacks and meals.

Although you can eat this as is as a salad, I also made up a no bean Raw Red Pepper Hummus (I have posted something similar here) to have on hand and the two worked out nicely to fill pita bread for a heartier meal as well as to use for chips and veggies. For all raw, you can use endive lettuce as scoops, something we often do.

We cleared out our mini bar fridge and stocked it with things like fresh fruit, smoothies, the hummus and salad, along with veggies and of course water. This really helped us to keep a lid on eating out too much while away from home. The hummus lasted about 5 days and the salad about 3-4. The chips, not that long at all.

In Room Dining- (sorry the lighting wasn't the best.)

Middle Eastern Salad

3 large cucumbers peeled and seeded and then diced

4 medium tomatoes, seed and diced

1/2 cup chopped parsley

1/2 cup chopped fresh mint

1 small red onion, diced or about 5 green onions chopped

1 medium lemon zested and juiced

salt and pepper to taste 

(I omitted the salt so just know that you might want to add this when serving and not before. It will make the cucumbers sweat and it will become watery as it sits.)

Mix all the above in a bowl and let sit at least 15 minutes or store in a sealed container and chill. 

It makes about 2 quarts and will keep for 3-4 days in the refrigerator.

As a side note, I have discovered a great substitute for store bought chips- Pita bread. 

Most often you can find pita bread that is free from preservatives and sometimes salt and oil as well. Gluten free would be a bonus but I have yet to discover that. I find that I don't react too much to pita.

I just cut them up into triangles and pop into the oven at about 325 degrees for 7-8 minutes until desired crispness. The hummus I made had quite a bit of garlic so I left these plain but for garlic flavored you can spritz with water and dust lightly with garlic powder. As an alternative you can spray with olive oil and do the same but I'm watching the use of oil and don't miss it at all.

On a Personal Note:

We had a great trip and although we tried to stay with our eating routine, we did stray while eating in restaurants and with friends and family. We both have decided that a cleanse or detox is definitely in order to feel our best again. 

So we are back to high raw food, salads, juices and smoothies for a while.

I can't wait to get back in the kitchen.

Until next time….

Vegan Fast Food- Burger and "Fries"

I don't know about everyone else but these long holiday weekends always seem to throw me off my game- time wise. Up front, it feels like extra time, like to start a project but in reality it becomes a time crunch as the week starts again but this time we've lost a day and are already playing catch up.

This is what happened to me. I took on a design project thinking it would be a quick turn around but there are always surprises in design. Add to that extra stress, a sudden illness in the house and I've worn myself down and am found playing catch up for the week here on Sunday.

So today in honor of the days that catch you off guard and when we used to resort to fast food, I am sharing a vegan fast food meal, burgers and "fries" or actually baked seasoned potatoes. This served as our Memorial Day lunch as well so it's still fitting to squeak in this week. At least that's what I'm going with here.

Next week it's back to the soups, I promise as we really need those handy ready to eat healthy meals.

California Veggie Burger and "Fries"

A vegan veggie burger, topped with fresh spinach, tomato, caramelized onions and mushrooms with a raw red pepper hummus on a whole wheat bun.

We have been searching for a good veggie burger to keep on hand for "emergencies" and this one is our favorite so far.

It's Vegan so it's free from eggs, no GMO, low fat and salt and made from lots of real veggies.

Here is the ingredient list:

Carrots, Onions, String Beans, Oat Bran, Soybeans, Zucchini, Peas, Broccoli, Corn, Soy Flakes, Spinach, Expeller Pressed Canola Oil, Red Peppers, Arrowroot, Corn Starch, Garlic, Corn Meal, Salt, Parsley, Black Pepper

What I like about this so far besides the taste is that I can recognize all the natural ingredients( as it says on the package.) It's not perfect as I see soy, oil and salt and also it's not gluten free, (they do offer one that is, just not at our store) but compared to the other boxes I've read this one beats the others hands down for nutrition. Also they are not rubbery in consistency but flavorful and very filling.

It's not an everyday meal by any means but in a pinch or when fighting off the cravings for the old sandwich it fills in nicely and can be kept in the freezer.

So here is what we pulled together:

For the Burger Fixings:

Whole wheat buns, caramelized onions and mushrooms, sliced tomato, fresh baby spinach, a little organic ketchup, Bragg's organic sprinkle and the red pepper hummus.

Red Pepper Hummus (no bean, raw)

The recipe is adapted from the beautiful book by Judita Wignall Raw and Simple. This is a great hummus with everything and one of our favorites. 
I must say, I LOVE her books! Keep your eyes open because I even plan to do a giveaway of one coming up here soon.

Ingredients:

1 cup seeded and chopped red bell pepper

1/2 cup tahini- raw and unsalted is always best (online ordering might be best option.)

1/4 cup lemon juice ( I had Meyer's lemons still on the trees- that's why they look sort of orangish) 

3 tablespoons hemp seeds

3 cloves of garlic

1 tablespoon of water, or more if needed

1 teaspoon of cumin

1/2 teaspoon of paprika

pinch of cayenne to taste

Blend all in high speed blender until well combined. Add more water if need to get the right consistency.

Seasoned New Potatoes (fries)

I adapted this from Rip Esselstyn's video, Engine 2 Kitchen Rescue where he showed someone how to make these in their home. Super easy!

Ingredients:

New potatoes, quartered
low sodium veggie broth
Bragg's Organic Sprinkle (a no salt seasoning.)

Place potatoes in a bowl

Splash a little broth over them, enough to moisten

Sprinkle with seasoning and toss well to coat.

Toss in a roasting pan for 30 minutes in the oven on 400, turning periodically as they brown. When they sort of puff up, they are ready.

Meanwhile, heat up your "burger"as per package instructions.

Splash a little of the veggie broth in a hot pan to saute up the onions and mushrooms.

Toast your buns, slather on the hummus and build your burger to your liking. Add in some potatoes and Voila! You've got yourself a very filling and tasty meal full of vegetables.

I hope you all had a great week and are getting yourself back on track if you had a week like mine recovering from the holiday. What are some of your favorite quick and easy meals? Do you have a favorite veggie burger that's low sodium and fat that also tastes great? I'd love to learn more.

My June Challenge:

On a personal note, I'm about to really up my game in terms of nutrition. I'm challenging myself to go strictly veg and fruit and low fat (nuts and seeds) for a while, probably 6 weeks.  I want to really break the sweet cravings and also get all the gluten and salt out. So there will be a healthier focus coming up. More raw smoothies, salads and nutrient dense soups and less packaged/ processed. 

How about you? Ready to up your game? Follow a long. Summer is here so there's no better time to indulge in all the wonderful fruits and produce available. It just feels right to eat cleaner this time of year. Doesn't it?

Until next time…

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