I’m first to admit that I am the stingiest bitch out when it comes to parting with money at crappy roadside stops. There is nothing worse than paying six euros for crusty stale bread and guaranteed salmonella - thanks, but no thanks.
I’d much rather save my money for the real goods (or duty free as the case may be) when I get to my destination, which, for this week, is Melbourne.
People get all hung up about taking food on the plane. First things first, you can really take whatever you want as long as you’re not taking fresh produce, nuts, dairy, etc. through quarantine internationally. I remember my dad’s face when I asked him to keep my mandarins in his carry-on from Dublin to Berlin, I thought he was going to have an aneurysm - rookie! It doesn’t matter though if you’re just whipping home to Christchurch for the weekend or bussing up the West Coast, or, if you are going slightly further, I’ve got you sorted.
The travel salad is usually presented in my Aunt’s collapsible tupperware bowl ft. a lid; it has reached quasi-sisterhood of the travelling pants status by now. Alas, what I’ve got will have to do just this time ‘round.
Scout out the local supermarket and make use of tinned legumes and veg that doesn’t go flaccid in five to make a quick hearty salad on the go for next to nothing. Melbourne is absolute foodie heaven but it’s not exactly the cheapest place to be living off Studylink. Lucky for us, all you need is a slither of space in a hostel fridge and this no nonsense salad is all yours.
I got three meals out of this and I managed to grab all the ingredients for $5.60, which boosted my gin allowance quite substantially! I’ve made variations of this salad so many times and it never fails to get me through, even if all I had was a Swiss Army Knife to prepare it with.
Ingredients
- Leafy Greens
- 1/2 a lemon
- 1 tomato, scoop out the seeds
- 1 zucchini, ribboned
- 1 can of lentils/legumes
- Optional harder-than-soft cheese
- 2-3 tablespoons of pesto
Method
- Dress salad leaves in lemon juice.
- Rinse lentils and coat in pesto.
- Slice veges in any old fashion.
- Toss.
- Cover with cheese.