Your vegetarian shopping on Spaghetti&Mandolino: vegetarian lunch.

We continue our “investigation” in Nina's pantry, a young architect with a passion for healthy yet indulgent, natural yet creative cooking. In one word: vegetarian! But how does one do their vegetarian shopping online? What does a person who cares about animals and the environment buy on Spaghetti e Mandolino? We asked her to tell us! After the article dedicated to breakfast products, we once again give the floor to Nina, who shares her favorite products for the perfect vegetarian lunch and offers some ideas for those who want to vary their menu a bit, with taste and balance.

Vegetarian Lunch: a Menu Full of Flavor 

For my vegetarian lunch, I choose from a selection of cereal-based products such as kamut, oats, spelt, and barley, picking a different one each time to mix things up, both in summer and winter, to prepare soups and salads. 

In particular, kamut-based products are among the favorites of vegetarians or those who consume little meat. Why? Because it is a grain that grows very well without the use of chemical fertilizers or pesticides, which is why it is easily found on the market sourced from organic farming. It is very energizing, more digestible, and more protein-rich than regular wheat: this makes it an important food to include in a vegetarian or even vegan diet, and therefore great for preparing a good vegetarian lunch. So, when I want to treat myself, I choose kamut pasta, which is higher in protein and dietary-friendly, or spelt pasta. It’s such a good pasta that it only needs to be dressed with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil, served alongside a good dish of fresh vegetables, to achieve the perfect vegetarian lunch. 

And then, here it is: my beloved quinoa! In fact, this is also a shared love among vegetarians. Quinoa is a protein-rich food, excellent from a nutritional standpoint, that presents itself as an unrefined grain. With quinoa, you can prepare everything from soups to salads, to warm dishes based on vegetables, such as tortini and soufflés. Thus, it is great for cooking many creative dishes for the perfect vegetarian lunch. I found it to be more convenient compared to other stores, and this is definitely a plus for Spaghetti&Mandolino. One last thing: quinoa is one of the foods that are always found in astronauts' super-pantry… could it possibly be missing from that of a dreamer like me?