A Day at the Eat Train Love HQ

We recently had the privilege of spending the day with our expert, Cheryl Lin at the gorgeous Eat Train Love HQ – where we discussed health trends, plant-based secrets (did you know that wild rice is the only rice that you can eat raw? If you properly soak it, that is!) and nutrition, toured her beautiful office and took a peek at her super dialed-in pantry with enough whole fruits, vegetables, grains, powders, nuts and seeds to make any nutrition nerd ecstatic.

More importantly however, Cheryl showed us two family-friendly “kitchen sink” – meals, a Roasted Pumpkin Salad and a Bloomed Wild Rice Salad– using ingredients that you might have lying in your fridge and pantry and throwing them together to make a nourishing and satisfying meal for your entire family.

Here’s how it’s done:

Roasted Pumpkin Salad

Feeds 3-4 People

Ingredients for salad
½ a pumpkin
1 red pepper
1 celery stalk, finely sliced
¼ of a pomelo, peeled
1 handful chopped pistachios
1 handful seeds or pine nuts
Himalayan pink salt and black pepper to taste

Ingredients for dressing
½ a mango
½ tbspn balsamic vinegar (we used pomegranate)
2 tbspn flax seed, coconut or olive oil (we used flax seed oil)

To prepare the dressing

Blend all ingredients for the dressing in a food processor or blender

To prepare the salad
1. Chop up pumpkin into cubes
2. Slice red pepper into large strips
3. Drizzle with olive oil
4. Season with black pepper, salt and paprika
5.  Roast for 20-25 minutes at 200 degrees Celsius
6. Mix all ingredients and dressing together and enjoy!

Bloomed Wild Rice Salad
3-4 portions
Rice should be bloomed 2 days in advance

Ingredients for salad
1 cup of wild rice
1 handful mint leaves, finely chopped
1 handful almonds, roughly chopped
1 handful of parsley, finely chopped
3-4 sprigs of spring onion
1 small cucumber, finely chopped
½ a pomegranate, scooped out (you can hit the skin of the pomegranate with a spoon to loosen seeds)

Ingredients for dressing
2 tbspn olive oil
1 tbspn apple cider vinegar
1 tbspn lemon juice
1 thumb ginger, finely chopped
1 tbspn agave
Small bunch parsley

How to make bloomed rice
1. Soak in a covered container at room temperature overnight
2. Rinse the rice, soak and refrigerate
3. Repeat the previous step until rice grains are bloomed (should take 2-3 days)

How to prepare the dressing
Add all ingredients and blend in a blender or food processor

How to make the salad
1. Drain water from bloomed rice (the rice should have a seaweed-like look)
2. Mix rice with all other ingredients for the salad
3. Pour dressing on top, mix further and enjoy!