Lunchtime and you’ve got nothing to eat! I hear vegans say this all the time. Yet, lunch is probably the easiest meal for vegans to slap together. This is my easy to make garbanzo bean and brown rice salad mix recipe. It takes minimal effort and can empty some of those bowls of leftovers you have sitting in the fridge.
What? No Bread?
That was my problem. I thought I had enough bread left for at least a half a sandwich, only that slice was broken in three. I scanned the pantry and fridge to see what I could put together that would be filling. My answer? A Garbanzo Bean and Brown Rice Salad.
This is what you need for one to two servings. You can increase ingredients for more servings.
Ingredients:
3-4 TBs Cooked Garbanzo Beans
1/4 cup Cooked Brown Rice
1/4-1/2 cup Steamed Vegetables (your choice of vegetables)
1 Clove of Garlic chopped or minced
The Directions
1. Put everything on a plate, cover with plastic wrap, and warm in the microwave for 1 minute. Garbanzo beans explode in the microwave so don’t forget to cover!
2. Mash the garbanzo beans with a fork.
3. Chop the vegetables into small pieces.
4. Mix all the ingredients together.
This makes about a cup of salad mix.
You can eat it as a meal or try some of these suggestions:
1. Make a bed of leafy greens such as spinach, escarole, or lettuce. Scoop the salad mix on top of the greens.
2. Toast of a couple of slices of bread, add a scoop or two of salad mix, and add your favorite spread.
3. Fill a pita pocket with salad mix. Add some sprouts.
4. Spread some of the mix on a tortilla and roll it up. Warm for about 30-40 seconds in the microwave.
5. Put some salad mix in a bowl and scoop it up with your favorite chips.
6. Form into patties, warm for 1 minute in the microwave, flip, and warm for another 30-60 seconds.
Here’s another tip:
You’d be surprised how much flavor the garbanzo beans add to the mix. Here’s a tip to make them even more flavorful! Microwave the garbanzo beans for about 20 seconds to make them soft. Mash them with a fork. Then microwave them with the rest of the ingredients. They’ll come out slightly toasted. Chop up the vegetables and mix as per recipe.
One lunch idea with 7 options. What’s your favorite, easy lunch? How do you get rid of leftovers in the fridge?
