A Garden Fresh Lunch (v)

I started a new job today - yeah! I don't want to get into the expensive and unhealthy habit of fast food or microwave meals so I have to come up with meal ideas that will transport well, fill me up and give me energy to finish off the work day, but also be tasty and bring a smile to my face in order to re-energize my spirit as well as my body. Having just made a trip to the garden after work this evening I made a quick meal that will fit the bill for tomorrow's lunch.

Steamed Beet Greens with Tomato Vinaigrette, a side of garden fresh cherry tomatoes, and a hunk of store bought focaccia bread. (I don't know if the bread is vegan or not, but the rest is.)

This is one of those cases were I don't really have an exact recipe to give you as I just kind of threw everything together without measuring as I made it, but here are the ingredients for the beet greens and vinaigrette; just try to mix a little of each until you like the taste:

• about 2 hand-fulls of beet greens, steamed
• 2 large ripe garden tomatoes, diced
• extra virgin olive oil
• Bragg's amino acids
• balsamic vinegar
• sriracha
• garlic (minced)
• fresh ground salt & pepper

1. While the beat greens where steaming, I simply tossed the other ingredients into a medium mixing bowl.
2. When the greens were done, I lifted them out, making sure to drain off any excess water and then added them to the vinaigrette and mixed well.

Beet greens are a great substitute for the every day salad. One serving has over 200% of your daily vitamin A and about 60% of your vitamin C. They are also high in fiber and a bunch of other minerals that are good for you. They have a slightly tart taste to them which really helps to tantalise those taste buds and perk you up half way through a long work day. Just be careful not to eat them every day as they are a bit high in sodium, each serving having about 14% of your daily sodium needs. (You can also eat them fresh, mixed in with other salad greens.)

Vinaigrette's are a great way to play around with flavours, creating new taste sensations, and bring a new perspective to an otherwise simple meal. The ingredients I used here are all staples in my kitchen, along with lemon and lime juice, white and apple cider vinegar, and a few other fun things that can all be intermixed to make a great vinaigrette. The only key is that you need an acid (a vinegar) and a base (the olive oil); from there add whatever you think might work to create a new flavour.

Update: I meant to post this right away afterwards but it didn't happen. This tasted much better right after cooking than it did when reheated for lunch. I don't know where all the moisture came from exactly but it was more like soup the next day. Also, do not store the bread in with the greens like I did - by lunch it was completely soggy and gross. (I admit I should have waited to post until after I ate it the following day. And even though most of my experiments taste great, not all of the recipes I try in life turn out.)