It’s been a week since we’ve been to the St. Petersburg farmers market and it looks like we’ll miss the Naples farmer’s market by a day. I looked at the produce we had left on board and saw that we’re down to some okra, cabbage and maybe a few green beans left over from last nights dinner. What to make for lunch? No problem! I love making all kinds of easy raw salads out of the non-conventional types of vegetables. Shredded cabbage is a must try if you haven’t experimented with it yet. The key is to finely shred the cabbage, then toss it with your favorite dressing before serving. The simpler the better. The okra is left raw and crunchy – just wash it and drizzle a little salad dressing over it. I whipped up a quick dressing using just a few ingredients that were in the fridge. I lightly stir-fried a can of chickpeas in curry spice, garam masala and a sprinkle of mustard seeds, then added the left over rice and green beans from dinner last night. Try it and I am sure you will enjoy this simple and easy lunch for yourself sometime.

Cabbage Salad Ingredients:
1/2 a head of cabbage finely sliced
1/2 a grapefruit diced into bite sized pieces

Salad Dressing:
2 cloves of garlic
1/4 cup of fresh squeezed lemon juice
1/2 of red or green pepper, diced
1 to 2 tsp. of agave
1/2 tsp. salt
1/8 to a 1/4 cup of your favorite oil (I used a mixture of hemp, pumpkin and flaxseed oil)

– Mix all ingredients in a food processor and toss with cabbage and grapefruit

Chickpeas and Rice
1 can of chickpeas, rinsed
1 tsp. of mustard seeds
1-2 tsp. of curry powder
1 tsp. garam masala (indian spice or use cumin)
1 tsp. coconut oil
1 to 2 cups of cooked rice

-Heat coconut oil in pan on medium low heat. Add mustard seed and spices and lightly saute till nicely browned and fragrant. Add chickpeas and toss with spices till nicely coated. Add rice and 2-3 tsp. of water, cover and let simmer for 2-3 minutes till warm. Toss in any left-over vegetables you may have on hand then serve and enjoy!