Buttery Rice Salad

When I lived in California, I used to custom order what was then my favourite meal from a local vegetarian/vegan cafe. Since I live nowhere near there, I decided to recreate this delicious, wholesome omega-rich meal on my own.

180 Ml (3/4 Cups) Brown Rice
180 Ml (3/4 Cups) Buckwheat (alternatively, you may use entirely rice or entirely buckwheat if you so choose)
1 large handful spinach
1 large handful cherry or plum tomatoes
1 handful cress
1 tin of sweetcorn
1 ripe avocado
1 tbsp sunflower butter (I used "Pure" brand)
2 cloves garlic
1/2 tsp fleur de sel or sea salt
1/2 tsp smoked paprika (optional)

Rinse, then boil the rice and buckwheat until completely cooked, and turn the heat down to low. After it has cooled for a moment, add in the sunflower butter, salt & paprika (optional) Dice the spinach, cress, tomatoes and avocado. Mince the garlic. Turn the heat off of the hob, wait for a minute and stir in all veggies. Serves 2 as a filling, nutritious meal on its' own.

Spiced Caramel Rye Meal

This is a sweet, warming treat which is very similar in consistency to rolled porridge oats. Rye is a great source of manganese, and can have several health benefits; which you can read about here if you wish.

200g Organic rye flakes
2 Tbsp Unrefined Molasses Sugar
1 Tbsp Virgin Coconut Oil
1 tsp Vanilla Extract
1/4 tsp Allspice
1/8 tsp Cinnamon
Water, as needed
Maple Syrup & Apple Slices to garnish (optional)

Place the rye flakes and molasses sugar in a pot on the hob with an equal amount of water, if not a bit more. Boil until the rye flakes have thoroughly absorbed the water. If there is excess water after a few minutes of boiling, simply strain. Turn the heat to low-med and add in the other ingredients, sans the garnish. Stir thoroughly and remove from heat. Will make 2 Decent sized bowls.

Red Lentil Mash

400g Red Lentils (surprise ;))
3 Heaping tablespoons Sunflower Spread or Coconut butter
2 Heaping tbsp Nutritional Yeast
1 tbsp Pasta Sauce (or a few cherry tomatoes will do fine)
4 Large Cloves of Garlic
1/2 tsp Onion Powder
1/4 tsp Garlic Salt
1/4 tsp Chipotle Powder
1/8 tsp Black Pepper
Gluten free breadcrumbs, optional

Put the lentils in a pot with roughly twice their volume in water and boil for about 10 to 15 minutes, or until all the water in the pot has completely absorbed. Put them in a large bowl and add the sunflower spread & pasta sauce, mash. If needed, add in an extra 1/4 cup of warm water. Stir in all other ingredients except the GF bread crumbs. Divide into bowls and add the bread crumbs to top. Serves 2-3 as a main course, as a side dish would probably make 4-5 servings. The taste and texture is reminiscent of refried beans, but with a lot less fat :)