The 'chuck-it-all-in-raw' salad (written May 18, 2019)
I’m a big lover of raw food, especially raw veg. Not only is it way better for you than cooking, but it also saves a lot of time. When there’s not much time (or I’m feeling particularly lazy), this is a simple recipe which is not only healthy, tasty, filling and makes you feel great, but it’s also cheap and easy to vary daily.
“I just can’t be bothered to cook anything so I’m just gonna chuck it all in raw”
On my day off or on a free evening, I make a small mountain of staple grain (my favourite is a mix of wild rice and puy lentils). This can then be kept in a large sealed Tupperware / container in the fridge for use later in the week.
N.B//With rice or quinoa I sometimes add rice mirin or rice vinegar for a little extra flavour.
Each morning before work (or the night before if you’re very organised), I chop up a variety of veg raw and chuck it in with the grain.
The marinade combination I generally go for always includes soy sauce and chilli. If I’m feeling disorganised, I’ll drizzle some soy sauce, sriracha (and maybe a squeeze of lime) over my concoction; with a little more time at the start of the week, I’ll fancy up a marinade to last several days, and keep it in a container to pour over as and when I need it.
Below are the rough costs for the food made in the photos – obviously you can do it as cheap or as expensive as you like by using less/more/different vegetables.
Rough costs for ~4 meals (not including the sauce marinade):
Lemon & Jinja White Basmati Rice (240g): £0.96
12 vine Tomatoes: £0.80 - £1.10
2 x spring onions: £0.15 - £0.25
2 x red/yellow/orange pepper: £0.80 - £1.10
2 x garlic cloves: ~£0.02 - £0.04p
Small lettuce: ~£0.65
Total: £3.83 - £4.20
Average for 1 meal: ~£0.96 - £1.05
--> Examples of other fresh veg that work well in this recipe: grated carrot, button mushrooms (washed well), spring cabbage, mange tout.
--> Examples of other grains that work well: quinoa, wild/brown rice, puy/green/brown lentils, bulgar wheat
-->You can also add some crushed nuts to add a bit of crunch (cashews, brazil nuts, almonds, pistachios or peanuts usually work the best.)
Serves: 4 meals
Ingredients:
240g Lemon & Jinja basmati rice (dry weight)
12 cherry vine tomatoes
2 spring onions
1 red pepper
Handful of lettuce (as much as you fancy)
[garlic, chilli and ginger is in the marinade, but these can obviously be mixed into the rice]
Salt and pepper to taste
Suggested marinade:
1 tbsp sesame oil (groundnut oil, or other)
[For a thicker sauce use ½ tbsp. sesame oil ½ tbsp. tahini]
4 tbsp soy sauce (or tamari for a gluten free option)
20g ginger root
1 small chilli (chopped), or 1 tsp chopped chillies
2 garlic cloves
½ lime, juice
Method:
1. Cook the grain as to instructed on the packet (we used rice in the recipe)
2. Drain and cool down immediately after cooking by rinsing with cold water
3. Add rice vinegar/rice mirin if required [place grain in the fridge if not needed immediately]
4. When required, chop up the veg, and mix into the grain with a marinade
5. Add salt and/or pepper to taste
Enjoy,