Healthy Lunch at Work Series: Part 1
I have recently re-discovered the wonder of buckwheat in my real food journey. Buckwheat, also known as sarrasin or blé noir, is traditionally used in crêpes and galettes in Brittany, my homeland. The distinct nutty taste of buckwheat crêpes soaked in salted butter reminds me of my summers running on the beach in my Brittany hometown of Audierne. Buckwheat, in all of its gluten-free glory, is actually closely related to rhubarb and not wheat. It is an excellent source of fiber and nutrients. In particular, buckwheat groats (the small, triangular seeds), when cooked, offer 17 grams of dietary fiber or 68% of the daily requirement for a 2,000 calorie per day diet, as well as 22 grams of protein.
I have found that buckwheat flour works extremely well in baking, as you can see from my Spiced Pumpkin Halloween Pancakes. It doesn't have that grainy, odd-tasting and feel of some gluten-free flours and most importantly it is naturally gluten-free. Regular gluten-free flours are usually made from a combination of potato, tapioca, corn and white rice, and thus quite processed and devoid of much nutrition. If you require a strict gluten-free diet, then you do have to be careful as though buckwheat in itself is gluten-free, it is sometimes cross-contaminated with wheat during processing and transportation.
Finally, the discovery of buckwheat noodles is the final piece of my healthy lunch at work puzzle that I've been trying to solve for years. HOW TO MAKE A HEALTHY, QUICK, INEXPENSIVE LUNCH AT THE OFFICE WHEN YOU WORK A NORMAL 9-5? The obvious answer is just to prepare more food so you have enough for a packed lunch the next day. This is great if you actually had time to cook the night before, what about those days when you have been out the night before? Also what about those days when you just don't fancy having the same thing for dinner and then for lunch the next day?
So now, I have an at-work lunch kit at my desk which allows me to produce an absolutely delicious, healthy and warming meal without any advance prep. The only thing you need to do is grab whatever fresh vegetables you can find in your fridge in the morning and take them to work, I try to always have some form of mushroom (dried Asian ones are wonderful and can be kept on your desk) and some fresh greens of some sort. This can be courgette, broccoli, spinach, kale, chard, spring greens and then ideally some fresh herbs (coriander, spring onion).
The most essential life-saving, time-saving trick, is that I always have a packet of Buckwheat Noodles and a pot of Organic Brown Rice Miso on my desk ready to be whizzed up into a delicious soup. Miso is an enzyme-rich paste made from fermented soy beans, sea salt, koji (a mold starter) and often mixed with rice, barley or other grains. When purchasing miso, avoid the pasteurised version and look out for the live enzyme-rich unpasteurised product, loaded with friendly bacteria. Miso is effective in detoxifying and eliminating elements that are taken into the body through industrial pollution, radioactivity and artificial chemicals in the soil and food system. MISO AWAY!
Miso Soba Noodle Soup
Serves 1
Total Time: 20 mins
Ingredients:
1 portion of buckwheat or brown rice noodles
2-3 mushrooms sliced
quarter courgette / quarter broccoli chopped
handful of soft greens (spinach, kale, chard, spring greens)
fresh green herbs like coriander, spring onion
1 tb of brown rice miso (to taste)
sesame oil
tamari
lemon or lime juice
1 free range egg (omit if vegan of course)
Optional:
Sriracha
Ingredients:
1 portion of buckwheat or brown rice noodles
2-3 mushrooms sliced
quarter courgette / quarter broccoli chopped
handful of soft greens (spinach, kale, chard, spring greens)
fresh green herbs like coriander, spring onion
1 tb of brown rice miso (to taste)
sesame oil
tamari
lemon or lime juice
1 free range egg (omit if vegan of course)
Instructions:
1. Place a portion of noodles and harder vegetables (mushrooms/courgette/broccoli) in a large bowl and cover with boiling water. Place a plate on top and let it stand for 5 minutes enough to gently cook noodles and veg. Drain water from the bowl. (If you are at home, just blanch noodles and vegetables normally.)
2. If you are having an egg, at this point crack a free-range egg into a mug of fresh boiling water and put into microwave for 40 seconds to lightly poach it. (Sorry about microwave, unfortunately this is the reality of worker bees nowadays, no hobs in office kitchens; again if you are at home, just poach egg as you would normally).
3. Add freshly boiled water into the bowl of cooked noodles and vegetables and add a large spoonful of miso into the noodle broth and mix in properly so it dissolves throughout. It is important not to boil miso (if using a hob), as high temperatures destroy the delicate friendly bacteria found in miso that is so good for you. So always stir into hot water, do not bring to the boil.
4. Then add the soft greens like spinach, kale and fresh herbs into the soup and they will blanch in the boiling water.
5. Season with a little splash of sesame oil, tamari, lime/lemon juice and homemade sriracha* (to taste).
*I adore a dollop of Sriracha on all my Asian food (well to be honest on all my food). Just make sure you make it yourself and avoid any brands that have dodgy additives/MSG. Happy slurping... So yummy! I've been having this at least 3 times a week for lunch for about 2 years and I'm still not tired of it, in fact I look forward to it! Mix it up with different veg to keep it exciting! Hope you enjoy this as much as I do!