by Del Lobo

Created on: May 18, 2010

Vegetarian Lunch Roll

Once you've made the decision to be vegetarian, then comes the tough part.   Eating balanced meals that are both,  healthy and appetizing can be a challenge to new vegetarians.   There is so much information out there about vegetarianism and recipes galore, it is enough to boggle the mind.   Some recipe books are enticing but when you get ready to prepare the food, the ingredients seem voluminous to assemble and assembling the food a real chore.

Out of all the meals, lunch appears to be the most challenging.  The mornings are a rush to get to work or school and there is never enough time.   Because time is short and sometimes, the money doesn't stretch, I've found these rolls to be the handiest and dandiest of all lunch items.  Lettuce is generally on hand in my refrigerator because I eat salads.  The other items, I tend to buy weekly or bi-weekly so I can eat market-fresh foods.   With all items stocked, it's easy for me to open cans and fill tupperware containers.    Assembly of the items is so easy that I've not only done it in the lunch room at work but also on a train while travelling to Montreal from Toronto.

I could go on and on about the benefits of eating raw food but let it suffice to say that eating 'live' food simply regenerates sluggish cells and restores the body of depleted energy.   After eating these, you may never need that afternoon coffee.   If it's weight you are concerned about, guess what?  You will see inches disappear from your waist and a feeling of overall lightness.

The ingredients for these rolls can last a few days and can be taken to the workplace fresh because you can assemble the rolls at the time of eating.

Ingredients:

 romaine lettuce

Canned white kidney beans or pinto beans

Tomato diced

Alfalfa sprouts (or other sprouts of your liking)

Avocado

Cucumber

Grated cheese (optional)

Low fat mayonnaise (Veganaise is a nice product)

Salt and pepper

Method:

Use small tupperware containers or the ones with compartments to package your ingredients for the office.  You can bag the lettuce leaves (shave off the spines a bit to make them easy to roll).    Using the lettuce leaves as wraps, spread some mayonnaise on them, roll them up with the other ingredients, sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Voila!   Follow up with an apple, pear or banana for a lovely, life-giving lunch.   Sometimes, instead of the beans, I spread hummus or olive tapenade and this is delightlful too.  Enjoy!

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