Salad Ideas
Salads are essential to summer. Our summer is enduring, hot and humid and so I look for ways to change up our traditional lettuce salad.
Two Mexican inspired salads from delicious February 2015 are simple and easy and makes for a colourful lunch.
Mexican Black Bean Salad
Corn Kernels, canned – drained
Black beans, canned – rinsed and drained
Coriander – leaves removed from stem
Small tomatoes (grape, cherry, mini) – halved
Avocado – sliced
Cos lettuce – shredded
Corn tortillas – sliced into 2 cm strips, tossed lightly in oil and baked in oven until crisp
Sour cream and sweet chilli sauce
Lime wedges – for serving
Brunch Salad
Cos lettuce – leaves washed and separated
Corn on the cob – char grilled then cut away from cob
Baby spinach leaves
Avocado – sliced
Streaky bacon – crispy fried
Corn chips
Sour Cream dressing: sour cream, lemon, salt and pepper
Layer and combine on a serving platter and drizzle dressing.
Sauce to Go and Dressing to Go
How cute are these!
Or at least these are the words I used to my teenage son as I packed a pink mini sauce bottle, filled with gluten free bbq sauce, in his lunch box.
Seriously, these are perfect sizing for lunch on the go for adults and children alike.
I found them in the section of Woolworths supermarket where you find lunch boxes and esky ice bricks.
Lunch and Lunch Box Helpers
It is time for me to visit Brisbane or call a favour in from friends in Brisbane for I am almost out of a few of my lunch box helpers. As I am a 2 hour flight away from Brisbane, I will most probably have my sister shop for my lunch box helpers so she can bring them when she visits in a month.
Lunch Dish Cups : wax coated rectangular cups, available in a variety of patterns and sizes, perfect for packaging rice wraps and sushi.
Soy Sauce Bottles: small bottles suitable for filling with gluten free soy sauce, comes with a small pipette for filling bottles but I find a syringe from the chemist works better
Sauce Bottles: I use these bottles for tomato or bbq sauce
Rice Ball Moulds: Rice balls are not a success for lunch boxes, but these moulds make great rice balls for lunches and dinner at home.
Toothpicks: perfect for meatballs and fruit pieces
I buy these from Daiso a $2.80 Japanese shop in the Myer Centre in Brisbane City (and other locations in Australia). Visit their website to see a sample of their products and locations as there are many other wonderful products to brighten up a lunch box, make breakfast a little bit more interesting and to colour your dinner plate.
