Lunch for the Week

A collection of healthy recipes to feed yourself lunch for the whole week.

[lunchfortheweek]

LFTW: Roasted Acorn Squash with Grains and Tahini Dressing

Here’s a lunch that doesn’t photograph well after a trip to work, but tastes like fall.

THE RECIPE:

the dressing:

1 garlic clove, peeled + smashed

1/4 cup fresh lemon juice

1 tablespoon olive oil

3 tablespoons tahini

2-3 teaspoons pure maple syrup

1/2 teaspoon lemon zest

salt + pepper to taste

the squash and apples:

3 tablespoons unrefined coconut oil

1 1/2 tablespoons pure maple syrup

1/8-1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

2 medium acorn squash

2 crispy apples

salt + pepper

the kale and farro:

3-4 teaspoons unrefined coconut oil

1 cup uncooked farro

2 cups water

5-6 cups chopped lacinato/dino kale

1 1/2 teaspoons minced garlic

salt + pepper to taste

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

for the dressing: Combine the smashed garlic, lemon juice, and oil in a jar.  Seal and shake vigorously.  Let sit for 10 minutes.  Shake once more then remove the garlic.  Add tahini, maple syrup, lemon zest, and a big pinch of salt and pepper.  Seal and shake until smooth.  Taste and adjust salt/pepper/maple syrup if needed.  Set aside.  Store leftovers in the fridge for up to 1 week.

for the squash and apples: Preheat your oven to 400* F.  In a small pan combine the coconut oil, maple syrup, and cayenne over medium-low heat and stir until melted.  Take off the heat.  Slice squash into appx. 1/4-inch round slices, using a large and sharp knife.  Discard ends.  Cut seeds out from each slice and place squash rings on 2 large baking sheets.  Brush the oil mixture over both sides of the squash rings.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Place in the oven for about 30-36 minutes, flipping once halfway through until desired doneness is reached.  A few minutes later slice the apples into 1/4-inch thick slices, removing any seeds/core.  Place on a baking sheet and toss to coat with remaining oil/maple mixture.  Place in the oven during the last 7-10 minutes of squash roasting.  Roast for 7 minutes to maintain a nice crunch.

for the kale and farro: As soon as the squash is in the oven, cook the farro as directed. Remove from the heat and keep covered.  After placing your apples in the oven to roast place a large pan over medium heat and melt 1-2 teaspoons of coconut oil.  Once hot add the garlic and stir for about 30 seconds, then add the kale and stir frequently for about 3-5 minutes until wilted.  Combine the farro in the pan with the kale.  Sprinkle with a good amount of salt and pepper and add the lemon juice.  Stir to combine.

to assemble: Place farro/kale mixture on a large platter then place roasted squash rings on top then the apples and sprinkle with sliced almonds.  Top with dressing.

Pretty looking roasted squash.

THE SOURCE:

Edible Perspectives. This was my first time making something from here, and if this recipe is any indication of the quality of their recipes, I’ll definitely be back.

THE NOTES:

I ended up doubling this recipe for lunches for two people, but I got the portions wrong and it made about six lunches total. (It’s because it was so good I wanted to eat tons of it everyday.) If you’re more vigilant about portioning you could get 8 lunches out of a doubled recipe. 

This isn’t quite as time consuming as it looks, but having a partner to help you out with the cooking is very helpful.

Be SO careful cutting the squash. I got a nasty cut on my finger that I’m not proud of. That being said, you don’t need to do rings! THe rings just make it look pretty, but it doesn’t need to be pretty. It just needs to taste good.

The original recipe calls for quinoa, but A thought the nuttiness of farro would be nice, and he was right.

Despite my difficulty with portioning, I do recommend keeping the ingredients separate so there’s no sogginess.

[lunchfortheweek]

Hello LFTWers!

I just got back from vacation this past weekend and wanted something healthy and delicious so I did a variation on my beloved Roasted Veggie, Sausage, and Farro Bowls. Forgive this non-traditional post, but I didn’t feel it deserved the usual fanfare since it’s a repeat recipe. 

I didn’t include any grains this time because I wanted an even healthier recipe after eating and drinking in the desert for a week. 

THE RECIPE:

Ingredients this time around:

1 package of precut butternut squash

1 package of chicken sausage, cut into coins 

two medium-largeish sweet potatoes peeled and cut into chunks

two medium red onions cut into chunks

7 carrots, peeled and cut into chunks

half a pound of kale, washed, stemmed, cut into pieces

olive oil

honey

balsamic vinegar

salt

pepper

fresh sage, cut and added to taste

fresh rosemary, minced and added to taste

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Put the rosemary, sage, sausage, sweet potato, carrot, butternut squash, and onion pieces in a bowl together (not the kale yet!). 

Pour a decent amount of olive oil, balsamic vinegar, and honey into the bowl, making sure everything is coated, but not completely drenched. Add a good helping of salt and pepper to the bowl and stir so that the sausage and vegetables are evenly coated.

Spread the mixture evenly on a baking sheet - or two if need be - so that they don’t overlap each other. 

Bake for 20-30 min. Meanwhile, put the kale in the bowl you used to stir up the sausage and veggie mixture to absorb the extra liquid, stir. Add a little more olive oil if you think there’s not enough extra to coat the kale a bit.

After 20-30 min, stir the mixture in the pan and add the kale. If you’re using two sheets, rotate them. 

Bake for another 20-30, and then check them. If the sweet potatoes and carrots are not soft at this point, stir everything again and put back in the oven for another 10-15 minutes. Don’t worry if your kale is looking a little crunchy!

Once the sweet potatoes and carrots are soft, let cool, and then put into your tupperware containers of choice.

THE NOTES:

This will end up being about 6 two-cup portioned lunches.

As ever, this is an incredibly customizable dish, add parsnips or brussel sprouts, rice or quinoa! Do apple cider vinegar instead of balsamic, the possibilities are endless. Roasted vegetables are very delicious in some kind of bowl-type meal, so follow your heart. I used rosemary and sage this time simply because they were in my fridge, and I needed to use them.

As noted, your kale will probably look a little crunch after its time in the oven, but after sitting in the refrigerator in a while with its veggie and sausage brethren, it’ll soften.

Frankly, don’t worry if the sausage or squash is looking a little dark in the oven, it adds a little flavor variety to the overall dish.

[lunchfortheweek]

LFTW: Crockpot Chicken Fajita Soup feat. Quinoa

In which this amateur chef finally doesn’t totally mess up a dish with quinoa in it. 

THE RECIPE:

INGREDIENTS

1½ lb. boneless skinless chicken breasts

1 cup uncooked quinoa, rinsed

3 bell peppers, chopped

1 medium onion, chopped

3 cloves garlic, minced

4 cups low-sodium chicken broth

Juice of 1 lime

1 (15 oz) can diced tomatoes

1 (4.5 oz) can green chiles

1 (15 oz) can black beans, drained and rinsed

1 cup frozen corn

1½ Tbsp chili powder

1 Tbsp cumin

2 tsp. paprika

2 tsp. sea salt

Toppings (optional): cilantro, avocado, shredded cheese

INSTRUCTIONS

In a 6-quart slow cooker, add chicken and the rest of ingredients, cover and place on high for 3 to 4 hours or low 6 to 8 hours.

Remove chicken and shred with two forks then add back into the slow cooker. Season with additional salt and seasonings if needed.

THE SOURCE:

Found this recipe courtesy of Pinterest from the site Eat Yourself Skinny. 

THE NOTES:

I did not double this, because A was out of town for a few days at the beginning of the week, so it worked out to be about 6 servings total as the recipe notes. It’s also worth noting this wouldn’t have fit in my crockpot had I tried to double it.

I just bought the tomatoes that already had diced chiles in there. 

I just eyeballed the corn too, for what it’s worth. 

Per usual, I skipped the topping because I’m lazy, but A added cheese and liked it a lot. I thought it was plenty flavorful without, but who doesn’t love cheese?

Don’t put the quinoa in first! I did this and it burned a little. Not enough to ruin the recipe, but still.

I am pro-bouillon in these situations, it’s so much cheaper than buying can after can of broth. 

A really tasty and filling soup for fall.

[lunchfortheweek]

LFTW: Sweet Potato Black Bean Chili

I confess I’d already started eating it before I remembered to take a picture. 

THE RECIPE:

INGREDIENTS

1 tablespoon oil

1 yellow onion, sliced

1½ lbs. ground turkey

2 tablespoons chili powder

2 tablespoons taco seasoning 

3 sweet potatoes, chopped into small pieces

3 cloves garlic

2 cups water

2-3 cups broth 

1 14-ounce can black beans

¼ teaspoon cayenne for spice

INSTRUCTIONS

Heat the oil over medium high heat in a heavy, deep pot. Add the onion, turkey, 1 tablespoon chili powder, and 1 tablespoon taco seasoning. Add water as needed to keep the turkey moist and moving around in the pan. When the turkey is browned and crumbled and the onions are soft, remove from the pan and set aside.

Add the sweet potatoes to the same pot with the remaining spices and stir to combine. When the sweet potatoes have browned just slightly, add the garlic, water, and broth. Bring to a low boil and simmer for 10 minutes or so, until the sweet potatoes are very soft. Using an immersion blender, puree the mixture until it reaches your desired consistency (you can also transfer to a regular blender and puree that way).

Add the browned turkey, black beans, and cayenne - stir to combine.

THE SOURCE:

Pinch of Yum!

THE NOTES:

This is a good fall starter chili. It’s not too heavy, but it’s still filling.

If you click over to the original recipe, you’ll see she added quinoa to it, and that’s what’s in her pictures. I think that’d be a nice addition if you wanted this to be a little more substantive. Without the quinoa it’s just the blended potato broth, the turkey, and the beans. So if you want a little more in your soup, quinoa is the way to go.

We doubled this to make enough lunches for two people for a full work week. 

As noted in the original Pinch of Yum recipe, the overall saltiness will depend on the type of taco seasoning you use. I’d start with all of the spices as listed above, and then adjust as you like.

What I personally wished I would have around to add was some chipotle peppers in adobo sauce. When I make this again, I’ll definitely  be adding that to the blended potato mixture. Instead, this time I added Valentina hot sauce and that tasted pretty good. I also added cumin because I love cumin. 

[lunchfortheweek]

LFTW: One Pot Vegetarian Enchilada Bake

Okay fine, this is not a great picture, but it looked pretty bad after a trip to work in a tupperware, so this is what you get. I’m sorry. But I promise, it tastes delicious.

THE RECIPE:

Ingredients:

3 teaspoons olive oil, divided

8 corn tortillas, cut into one inch pieces

½ yellow onion, small diced

1 small zucchini, small diced

1 small yellow squash, small diced

1 small red bell pepper, small diced

1 clove garlic, minced

¾ cup fresh corn kernels

1 (15 ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained

½ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon black pepper 

½ teaspoon ground cumin

½ teaspoon paprika

1½ cup grated cheese, divided

1½ cup enchilada sauce

Instructions:

Heat a large skillet (10-12 inch) over medium heat and add 2 teaspoons olive oil. Add corn tortilla pieces to the pan and cook for five minutes, until slightly crispy. Remove tortillas and set aside. Add the remaining 1 teaspoon oil to the pan and add the onions and a pinch of salt. Cook onions for 2 minutes and then add the zucchini, squash, pepper, garlic, corn, black beans and all of the spices. Stir until everything is combined and cook for ten minutes, until vegetables are tender.

Add the corn tortillas back in along with 1 cup grated cheese and stir. Next add the enchilada sauce and stir again. Top with the remaining ½ cup cheese, turn the heat off and cover for 5 minutes, until cheese is melted. Top with cilantro leaves, if desired.

THE SOURCE:

She Likes Food. I believe this is my first time making something from this blog. It came up on a google search that was something along the lines of “please god help me find a one pot recipe that doesn’t involve pasta.”

THE NOTES:

This is another one pot dinner that I made for lunches for myself while A was out of town. So it lasted me about 4 lunches. 

This is SO good. It’s really filling and flavorful. I didn’t find myself wishing there was meat in it at all.

I could not find enchilada sauce at my grocery store, so I used a whole bottle of Ortega taco sauce and that worked just fine. 

I skipped the cilantro topping because I just didn’t feel like washing cilantro. 

This is a great end of summer meal. 

[lunchfortheweek]

LFTW: One Pot Creamy Sausage and Pasta

Forgive the non-traditional photo, one pot meals just don’t look as good when they’re repackaged and heated up. But here we have a very delicious, very quick one pot meal that will last you a few days. 

THE RECIPE:

6 oz. smoked sausage

1 Tbsp olive oil

1 medium onion 

1 (14.5 oz.) can diced tomatoes w/chiles 

2 cups chicken broth 

8 oz. pasta 

3 cups fresh spinach

1 cup (4 oz.) shredded monterrey jack

1 whole green onion

INSTRUCTIONS

Thinly slice the smoked sausage and add it to a large skillet with 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Saute the sausage over medium heat until it is nicely browned (about 5-7 minutes). Drain off the excess fat.

Dice the onion and add it to the skillet. Continue to saute until the onion has softened (about 5 minutes). Add the can of diced tomatoes with chiles and the chicken broth. Stir to combine and dissolve any browned bits off of the bottom of the skillet.

Add the uncooked pasta to the skillet and make sure it is all submerged under the liquid. Place a lid on the skillet and allow the mixture to come up to a boil. Once it reaches a boil, turn the heat down to low and let it simmer for about ten minutes, or until the pasta is tender. Stir once or twice while the pasta cooks to keep it from sticking.

Stir in the fresh spinach, one cup at a time, until wilted. If you add it all at once, the skillet will be too full to stir. Keep the heat on while adding the spinach, so the liquid will continue to simmer and thicken.

Sprinkle the shredded cheese on top, replace the lid, and let it sit for a few minutes, or until the cheese is melted. Slice the green onions and sprinkle them over top.

THE SOURCE:

Budget Bytes, again!

THE NOTES:

This is a favorite meal to make when I don’t know what I want to make. I make it for dinner or for lunch if I’m only making lunch for myself for the week.

This is a “creamy” recipe that doesn’t actually have any cream, which I love. Those recipes are a little too indulgent for me when I’m eating them every day.

I usually add the full ring of sausage to it because I don’t cook with sausage very often so otherwise I might end up throwing it away.

This time I made it with some leftover arugula I had, and it was really good. I think any green that wilts easily would be good in here. 

Doubling this would be hard because you’d either need a really, really big pan or make the whole recipe twice in two separate pans. 

[lunchfortheweek]

LFTW: Crockpot Jambalaya

In which we all needed a break from summery salads and needed something a little more hearty.

THE RECIPE:

INGREDIENTS

3 ribs celery 

1 yellow onion 

1 green bell pepper

2 cloves garlic 

12-16oz. smoked sausage

2 boneless, skinless chicken thighs 

1 tsp dried oregano 

1 tsp dried thyme 

½ Tbsp smoked paprika 

½ tsp cayenne pepper 

Freshly cracked pepper (15-20 cranks of a mill) 

2 15oz. cans diced tomatoes (or one 28oz. can) 

¼ bunch fresh parsley, chopped 

2 cups chicken broth 

2 cups uncooked long grain white rice 

3 green onions, sliced 

INSTRUCTIONS

Finely dice the celery, onion, and bell pepper. Mince the garlic. Add the celery, onion, bell pepper, and garlic to the bottom of a 5 quart or larger slow cooker.

Slice the smoked sausage into rounds or half moons and add them to the slow cooker, along with the chicken thighs, oregano, thyme, paprika, cayenne, and freshly cracked pepper.

Pour the diced tomatoes and all their juices over the meat and spices in the slow cooker. Add the chicken broth and a handful of chopped fresh parsley. Stir briefly.

Place the lid on the slow cooker, turn the heat on to high, and cook for four hours.

After four hours, the liquid in the slow cooker should be boiling. Remove the lid just briefly enough to stir in the uncooked rice. Replace the lid and let it continue to cook on high for 20-25 minutes, or until the rice has absorbed most of the liquid.

Remove the lid, test the rice to make sure it's tender, then stir to fluff the ingredients. Sprinkle the sliced green onions over top, then serve.

THE SOURCE:

Once again brought to you by Budget Bytes.

THE NOTES:

We did not double this recipe, and it lasted us just fine.

A and I didn’t feel like freezing the other two chicken thighs that came in the pack we got so we just put them all in there, which was great, but when I was eating it made me wish I’d doubled the sausage too.

We opted for a spicy sausage instead of smoked. 

Because of the sausage change-up A precooked it before adding it to the crockpot. He also precooked the chicken thighs a little bit.

We totally put the parsley in the crockpot instead of putting on after, whoops.

This is really, really filling, and really, really good. It’s still August, I know, but this got me excited for fall foods. 

I will be making this again!

[lunchfortheweek]

LFTW: Cucumber & Couscous Salad

Parsley! Couscous! Tomatoes! Cucumber! Summer in one bowl.

THE RECIPE:

Ingredients

¼ cup extra virgin olive oil

1 cup Israeli couscous

6 to 8 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, to taste

3 cups chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley (from 3 large bunches)

¼ cup chopped fresh mint

½ pound ripe tomatoes, very finely chopped

¾ pound cucumbers (1 European or 4 Persian), seeded if using regular cucumbers, cut in fine dice

1 bunch scallions, finely chopped, or 1/4 cup chopped chives

Salt to taste

Recipe

Heat one tablespoon of the olive oil over medium-high heat in a medium saucepan and add the couscous. Stir until the couscous begins to color and smell toasty, 4 to 5 minutes. Add 2 cups water and salt to taste and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat, cover and simmer 15 minutes, or until the couscous is tender. Drain if any liquid remains in the pan.

Transfer the couscous to a large bowl and toss with the lemon juice, parsley, mint, tomatoes, cucumbers, scallions or chives and salt to taste. Add the olive oil, toss together, taste and adjust seasonings. Serve with lettuce leaves.

THE SOURCE:

New York Times Cooking knew just what I wanted and they delivered!

THE NOTES:

This was doubled to suit lunch for two people for one workweek.

That being said, I was at the store and looked at six bunches of parsley and imagined picking the leaves off of six bunches and decided to pick three of the biggest bunches I could find as a compromise and that worked just fine. In fact, I think six regular sized bunches would probably have been too much, and I love parsley. (I doubled everything else. Laziness kept me from doing six bunches of parsley, judge me as you will.)

If you don’t like parsley, don’t make this recipe. It’s very parsley forward.

If I could have added more of any herbs it would have been chives. I was excited to include them in the recipe but the parsley overpowered that flavor completely.

The original recipe calls for serving this on romaine leaves. I bought them and then when it came down to it, I decided to skip that part. It seemed like an unnecessary step, and maybe I’m missing out, but I enjoyed it immensely without.

The original recipe also says it only keeps for a day in the fridge, that is totally untrue. It lasted just fine for a full workweek. (The photo is from Thursday, so!)

A really refreshing summery dish! 

[lunchfortheweek]

LFTW: Orzo Summer Salad with Lemon Dill Dressing

THE RECIPE:

Ingredients

Salad:

1 cup uncooked orzo

1-2 cups rotisserie chicken, shredded or cut into small pieces

1-2 cups chopped cucumber

1-2 cups baby spinach

1-2 cups fresh sweet corn (3-4 ears), cut off the cob

2 cloves garlic, minced

Crumbled goat cheese (optional)

Dressing:

olive oil

lemon juice

a small bundle of fresh dill, minced

a small bunch of green onions, sliced

salt and pepper

Cook orzo according to package directions.

Heat a little bit of olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic and the corn; saute until the corn is bright yellow and tender.

Toss all ingredients together, including dill, green onions, and olive oil, lemon juice, goat cheese, and salt and pepper to taste. Serve hot or cold.

THE SOURCE:

Pinch of Yum! I love her recipes.

THE NOTES:

This is REALLY, really good. If you love dill you should absolutely make this.

Holy crap, this made a lot of food when we doubled it. 

I forgot how great rotisserie chickens are. 

I kept the dressing separate to keep the spinach from getting too wet, but I think if I were to make it again I’d just mix it all in. 

The recipe didn’t say how much of the dressing to make, and since doubling the recipe made so much, I actually had to go back to the store and buy more ingredients to make another batch. So, go big on the dressing. In total, I ended up using the juice of six lemons, probably a half cup of dill, two bunches of green onions, and a good helping of olive oil.

[lunchfortheweek]

LFTW: Asian Broccoli Salad

This was a good, healthy recipe with minimal cooking.

THE RECIPE:

Broccoli Salad

1 large head broccoli, cut into small florets

1 cup shelled cooked edamame

1/2 cup thinly-sliced green onions

1/2 cup peanuts

1 batch peanut sauce 

sesame seeds, for garnish

Peanut Dressing

1/4 cup natural peanut butter

1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar

1 tablespoon soy sauce 

1 tablespoon honey or agave nectar

1/8 teaspoon sesame oil

1-2 tablespoons hot water, as needed to thin the sauce

To make the broccoli salad, heat a large pot of water until it is boiling.  Add in the broccoli florets and boil for 30 seconds.  Use a strainer to transfer them into a bowl of ice water, which will immediately halt the cooking process.  Drain.  Then add the remaining ingredients and toss until combined.  Serve immediately, garnished with sesame seeds if desired.

For the dressing, whisk all ingredients together until combined. If the dressing is too thick, whisk in hot water a tablespoon at a time until it reaches the consistency you desire.

THE SOURCE:

Gimme Some Oven! 

THE NOTES: 

I wanted a really easy recipe and this was it. It’s a really fast meal to cook. 

I doubled this and it didn’t last for the full week for the two of us, but this was mainly because of broccoli. 

If I were making this again, I would make sure I had a lot more broccoli. I bought two heads and I honestly could have had about two more when comparing what my picture looked like versus the Gimme Some Oven final image, and it would have made the servings last longer.

I made the dressing without enough water, so it made it a lot more thick, but I didn’t mind that when it came to serving time. 

I didn’t add the sesame seeds because I couldn’t find them at the store.

[lunchfortheweek]

LFTW: Lentils Folded into Yogurt, Spinach, and Basil

This delicious lunch and the delightful cookbook it came from!

THE RECIPE:

1/2 cup pine nuts or chopped walnuts

2 cups baby spinach

1 cup fresh basil leaves

1 cup cooked lentils (small green Puy are best)

2 tablespoons fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves, chopped

1 garlic clove, finely chopped

1 lemon

1 cup Greek yogurt (we used 2%)

1/4 cup olive oil

Salt

Freshly ground black pepper

1/2cup Parmesan cheese, sliced

Salt

Freshly ground black pepper

Heat a small sauté pan over medium heat. Add the pine nuts or walnuts and cook until lightly toasted, 5 to 7 minutes. Lay them out on a wooden cutting board to cool, then chop them roughly to the size of the lentils. If your knife is sharp enough to slice the spinach and basil leaves without bruising them, gently cut them into bite-size pieces. Otherwise, tear them by hand.

Place the lentils in a bowl and mix in the spinach, basil, parsley, and garlic (note: If you'd like the spinach and basil to hold their green form better, add them toward the end instead). Squeeze the lemon into the lentils, mix, and then fold in the yogurt. Mix again, then slowly pour in the oil, stirring, as you do, to combine. At this point, taste the mixture, and season with salt and 2 good grindings of pepper. Finally, fold the roasted nuts into the dish, and finish with a drizzle of oil. The dish is now ready to serve.

The “dressing.” (See my notes below.)

THE SOURCE: 

Food52 is the link I am sharing with y’all here, but I actually own the cookbook that this came from. It’s very much in the spirit of Lunch for the Week, it’s called Lunch at the Shop by Peter Miller. It kind of assumes that you’ve got a small, reasonably stocked kitchen at your workplace, so the recipes require a few modifications, but on the whole it’s an excellent cookbook that I recommend! 

THE NOTES:

The gist of this cookbook is that you do some of the cooking at home and some “at the shop.” I’m assuming that like me, most of you don’t have access to cooking equipment at work, so I modified the recipe for as much as possible to be dealt with at home, but I’ll address some more specific changes I made below.

We doubled this, and it lasted us about 3 lunches each. 

Clearly, this would all get pretty gross if it was mixed all together at once and stored it that way for several days. We kept everything as separate as we could, and then mixed it all together when we were packing up the food in the morning. We had the basil and spinach (I forgot the parsley this time, whoops) in one container, and the pine nuts, yogurt, parmesan, and lentils all in their own respective containers as well. I put all of the liquidy items together (lemon juice, garlic, olive oil, and salt and pepper) and treated it like a dressing. So each morning we’d pack up everything into one container, mix it up, and eat it over a slice or two of sourdough bread. 

I made another lunch checklist and slapped it on the fridge so we wouldn’t forget anything.

I did not chop the pine nuts and feel completely fine about it.

Butter lettuce leaves are a good serving implement for this too if you want to skip the bread!

This is a simple and delicious recipe that will make you feel very fancy while you’re eating it.

For the record, this is one of A’s all time favorite lunches to bring to work.

PS - I know I cheated a little bit with the photos this time, since none of them show exactly what it looks like at my desk, but it’s an attempt to have slightly nicer looking photos. Bear with me.

[lunchfortheweek]

LFTW: Chilled Black Bean Salad with Grilled Chicken

Not the prettiest looking salad, but a really tasty one! A great lunch for a hot day.

THE RECIPE

Salad Ingredients

3 (15-ounce) cans black beans, drained and rinsed

1 (15-ounce) can whole-kernel corn (or about 1 1/2 cups fresh corn)

1/2 medium cucumber, finely diced

1 cup chopped cilantro

2 to 3 limes, juiced

1/2 cup chopped celery or green onions

1 to 2 cups crumbled feta

1/3 cup red wine vinegar

Sea salt, cracked black pepper, and cumin to taste

Chicken Ingredients

1 1/2 or 2lbs of chicken thighs

4 cloves garlic, peeled

1 small onion, quartered

1 tablespoon fresh oregano, or 1 teaspoon dried

2 teaspoons ground cumin

¼ teaspoon cayenne, or to taste

Pinch ground cloves

Salt and pepper

1 tablespoon peanut or other oil

2 tablespoons orange juice, preferably freshly squeezed

2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice

Mix spices and liquid ingredients to make marinade. Place chicken in, marinade for at least a half hour, grill until chicken is cooked through. When the chicken is cool, cut into small pieces.

Combine the black beans, corn, cucumber, cilantro, celery, cut up chicken, and feta in a large bowl and toss until mixed evenly. Add lime juice and vinegar, stir, and taste. You may want to add more lime to taste. Add a dash of salt, pepper, and cumin, and adjust to taste.

Chill for at least one hour before serving.

THE SOURCE

Okay, I know I’ve been on quite a kick with The Kitchn, but they understand hot weather cooking very well. What can I say? They’ve got my number. The chicken marinade recipe came from The New York Times. A found it.

THE NOTES

This is a great almost no-cook recipe. If you want it to be no cook, just skip the chicken. It’d still be a delicious recipe! 

We didn’t double this one, adding the chicken made it last four meals each for A and I.

I used a whole cucumber instead of a half, and honestly, wouldn’t have minded more.

The Kitchn suggests serving these in a jars, and well, I stuck with my trusty 2 cup tupperwares.

We inherited some chili lime seasoning from Trader Joe’s after a camping trip and it was a great addition to the salad. 

This was really, really good, a hearty, filling meal.

[lunchfortheweek]

LFTW: Crockpot Ratatouille

A summery, veggie-filled lunch

THE RECIPE:

4 tablespoons olive oil, divided, plus more for drizzling

2 medium yellow onions, diced

1 pound eggplant

1 pound zucchini or summer squash

2 large red, green, or yellow bell peppers (about 1 pound)

1 pound tomatoes

4 cloves garlic

2 tablespoons tomato paste

1/2 teaspoon fine salt, plus more for seasoning

1/4 cup coarsely chopped fresh basil leaves

Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a large frying pan over medium heat until shimmering. Add the onions, season with salt, and cook, stirring occasionally and adjusting the heat as needed, until completely softened and light golden-brown, about 30 minutes. Meanwhile, prepare the rest of the vegetables.

Trim the eggplant and zucchini, cut into 1-inch cubes, and place in the insert of a 6-quart or larger slow cooker. Trim, core, and cut the bell peppers into 1-inch dice and add to the slow cooker. Core the tomatoes, cut into 1 1/2-inch dice, and add to the slow cooker. Finely chop the garlic and add to the slow cooker.

When the onions are ready, add the tomato paste to the pan and stir to coat the onions. Transfer the onion mixture to the slow cooker. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons oil and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Stir to coat all the vegetables.

Cover the slow cooker and cook until the vegetables are extremely tender, 4 hours on high or 5 to 6 hours on low. If you'd like to cook off some of the excess liquid in the slow cooker, cook uncovered for the last 30 minutes.

Stir in the basil and taste for seasoning, adding more salt as needed. Drizzle with more olive oil before serving if desired.

THE SOURCE:

The Kitchn strikes again! 

THE NOTES:

Don’t skip precooking the onions! It makes them extra tasty.

This isn’t a particularly hearty lunch, but it’s plenty tasty and I wanted something easy to make as well as healthy after an unhealthy holiday weekend.

The basil on top before serving is crucial, as is salt and pepper. That being said, for being such a simple recipe, there’s a lot of good flavors here.

I did as the recipe suggested and cooked for the last half hour with the lid off to cook off the extra liquid, and I think that was the right choice. It was still plenty stew-like.

This recipe as-is says it’s 8 to 10 servings, but that’s clearly as a side dish. As-is this was four 2 cup servings, which was perfect for this short week.

Crockpot + hot weather = a not overheated kitchen and a happy chef.

[lunchfortheweek]

LFTW: Tofu and Broccoli Salad with Peanut Butter Dressing

Such a large, delicious salad that my normal office bowl wasn’t big enough! Had to upgrade to my reusable Just Salad bowl.

THE RECIPE:

Tofu Ingredients

1 tablespoon sesame oil 1 tablespoon soy sauce 1 tablespoon rice vinegar 1 tablespoon water  1 pound extra-firm tofu

Salad & Dressing Ingredients

1/2 cup smooth peanut butter 1/4 cup rice vinegar 3 tablespoons tamari or soy sauce 2 tablespoons water 1 to 2 teaspoons Sriracha hot sauce (optional) 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil 12 ounces broccoli slaw (no dressing) 1 medium red bell pepper, julienned 1/4 cup shelled and cooked edamame 1/4 cup roasted peanuts 1/4 cup loosely packed fresh cilantro leaves

Drain and unwrap the tofu, wrap it in a dry, clean cloth or paper towel, place it on a plate, put another plate on top of it, and put something heavy on top to press down on it like a big can of tomatoes or a carton of milk. Let it press like this for 15-30 minutes.

Meanwhile, combine all of the tofu marinade ingredients and whisk together. Put it in a shallow container. Once the tofu has been pressed to your satisfaction, pat it dry and cut into small cubes. Place those cubes into the shallow container, cover and let it marinade for at least 30 minutes. If you’re only doing 30 minutes, preheat the oven to 350.

Place the peanut butter, rice vinegar, tamari or soy sauce, water, Sriracha (if using), and sesame oil in a bowl and whisk until smooth; set aside. 

Place the broccoli slaw and bell pepper in a large bowl and toss to combine. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.

Bake the tofu for 30-45 minutes, flipping it every ten minutes. Keep it separate from the salad.

When ready to serve, divide the slaw mixture between 4 plates. Top with the baked tofu, peanuts, and cilantro. Drizzle with the peanut sauce.

Tofu all done.

THE SOURCE: 

The Kitchn strikes again! This recipe went out in their weekly email, and I knew it was perfect for LFTW. Their separate tofu recipe is here, but I feel I captured/integrated it well above.

THE NOTES:

I work in Midtown Manhattan, and can easily buy a very delicious (albeit overpriced) salad. This tastes like one of those salads! I rarely want to bring in salads to work because I’m afraid it won’t be as tasty to me as one I’ve ordered out, but this fits that bill.

We doubled this (including the tofu) to suit two people’s lunches over a work week.

A had the idea to add more shredded cabbage and shredded carrot to this slaw which has helped stretch it a little. He also had the idea to pack a lime wedge with it so that it had a little more acid to cut the sweetness of the peanut butter dressing. The lime is a very nice addition.

Broccoli slaw was somewhat hard to find in my grocery store, but we did end up finding it. So keep looking if you can’t find it!

This was my first time cooking tofu, and I was delighted by how easy it was. It’s time consuming, but it really was much easier than I thought. 

You really do have to keep everything as separate as you can to keep it all fresh. If you’ve been following along with me from the beginning you’re probably surprised to hear me say that since I’m terrible at remembering toppings, but I made a salad checklist for myself and kept it on the refrigerator so I wouldn’t forget anything. I packed all of the salad ingredients together each morning and put some dressing in a 4 ounce container and dressed the salad at lunch time. 

I won’t gush too much again, but it’s really a filling and delicious salad. I will definitely be making this again.

[lunchfortheweek]

LFTW: Pesto Zucchini and Corn Quinoa Salad

Healthy summer salads all around! 

THE RECIPE:

Ingredients

1 cup quinoa, rinsed

1 3/4 cups water or broth

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 cloves garlic, chopped

4 cups zucchini (~2 medium sized zucchini), diced

1 cup corn, fresh or frozen

salt and pepper to taste

1 (15 ounce) can of chickpeas, rinsed and drained

1/4 cup green onions, sliced

1/4 cup pine nuts, toasted

1/2 cup basil pesto (homemade or store bought)

2 tablespoons lemon juice

Pesto essentials!

Bring the water and quinoa to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer, covered, until the quinoa is tender and has absorbed the water, about 15 minutes, remove from heat and let sit for 5 minutes, covered.

Meanwhile, prep the zucchini and corn, heat the oil over medium-high heat, add the zucchini and corn and cook until tender, about 12 minutes, before removing from heat and seasoning with salt and pepper to taste.

Mix everything together.

THE SOURCE:

Closet Cooking. I’d had this saved on my Pinterest page for ages knew it was time to make it. 

THE NOTES:

This recipe was doubled for a week’s worth of lunches for two people.

I have once again done a not great job on a quinoa recipe here, friends. And once again it’s my fault. I didn’t make enough pesto, but keep trudging onward anyway. I have now officially learned my lesson about quinoa and making sure I have the right ingredients/right amount of ingredients. It just wasn’t terribly flavorful because of the lack of pesto. I even added some extra citrus, but it didn’t really cut it. A ended up adding hot sauce to his before eating it. 

That being said if made correctly, this would be delicious! For the record, the pesto I made was really good, so had I had more of it I’m sure this dish would have been a knockout. 

In the original recipe, he’s got a picture which looks like he used lemon zest in it too, which would have been a nice addition.

This is a really healthy, fresh tasting recipe! I can’t wait to try it again when I have the right stuff. Sigh.

[lunchfortheweek]

LFTW: Tomato Salad with Onion, Dill, Feta & Roasted Chicken

A summery fresh salad with some roasted chicken.

THE RECIPE:

Ingredients:

For salad:

1/2 red onion

1 pound tomatoes, about 2 large, 1 red and 1 orange 

1 clove garlic

Flaky sea salt and freshly-ground black pepper

2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

1 red bell pepper, seeded and cut into 1-inch chunks

1/4 pound cucumber (approximately 1/3 cucumber), thinly sliced

1 cup kalamata olives, pitted

1/4 cup fresh dill, roughly chopped

1/4 cup fresh mint, roughly chopped

1 cup crumbled feta cheese 

For chicken

4 chicken thighs

1/2 cup of olive oil

juice of one lemon

generous dollop of honey

salt

pepper

Combine all of the ingredients for the chicken into bowl (except the chicken), and whisk together. Put chicken in the bowl and marinade in the refrigerator for at least an hour if not longer.

Roast chicken in the oven at 375 for 30 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through. While chicken is roasting, prepare the salad.

Finely slice the red onion and put the slices in a bowl of cold water while cutting up the rest of the vegetables, 10 to 15 minutes. Cut the tomatoes into bite-sized chunks. Drain the onion and pat dry.

Place the garlic, a pinch of salt, and the vinegar into a large mixing bowl. Drizzle in the olive oil while whisking.

Add the red onion, red pepper, cucumber, olives, and herbs and let marinate for 10 minutes. Cut up the roasted chicken. Add the tomatoes, chicken, and feta, and toss gently to combine. Add salt and pepper to taste. 

Lift out of the bowl with a slotted spoon, leaving juices behind. Place on a large platter and serve immediately.

THE SOURCE:

The Kitchn. Thanks so much to my friend Meghan, who has the most enviably organized Pinterest full of recipes I have ever seen, for sending me this recipe! 

THE NOTES:

As you can see, the original source recipe does not call for chicken, but I wanted to add a little more protein so I added the roasted chicken thighs, which is a nice compliment to all of the flavors.

I skipped the olives because I don’t like them!

I kind of followed my heart on the amount of the vegetables, I used the whole cucumber and the whole onion. So it’s not quite doubled for two, but I didn’t get around to cooking this until Tuesday, so I made it in hopes that it would be six full lunch servings. 

I admit the mint kind of loses its flavor after sitting in the juices for a while so if you really love mint, I’d keep it separate and sprinkle it over your salad right before you eat it.

Since there were no salty olives in this recipe I upped the red wine vinegar.

Also, the saltier feta you can get the better. 

This is a very tasty salad, as Meghan said when she sent me the recipe, you’ll be finishing every last drop of the salad, including the dressing left behind in your bowl.

[lunchfortheweek]

LFTW: Roasted Butternut Squash, Kale & Cranberry Couscous

It’s summer salad time!

THE RECIPE:

Ingredients:

1 small butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and diced into 1/2-inch cubes

2 tablespoons olive oil

salt and freshly-cracked black pepper

1 cup dry Israeli (pearl) couscous, cooked in water according to package instructions

2 cups chopped kale leaves

1/3 cup dried cranberries

1/3 cup chopped walnuts 

2 ounces goat cheese, crumbled 

Vinaigrette Ingredients:

2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar

2 tablespoons DeLallo extra virgin olive oil

2 tablespoons freshly-squeezed orange juice

pinch of salt and black pepper, to taste

DIRECTIONS:

Heat oven to 425°F.

In a large mixing bowl, toss cubed butternut squash with olive oil.  Sprinkle with a few generous pinches of salt and pepper, and toss until combined.

Spread the butternut squash out in an even layer on a parchment-covered baking sheet.  Bake for 15 minutes, then remove from the oven and flip the squash for even cooking.  Bake for an additional 10-15 minutes, or until the squash is tender and slightly browned around the edges.  Remove from oven and transfer back to the large mixing bowl.

Add couscous, kale, cranberries, walnuts, goat cheese, and vinaigrette, and toss to combine.

VINAIGRETTE:

Whisk all ingredients together until combined.  Taste, and season with additional salt and pepper if needed.

THE SOURCE: 

Gimme Some Oven. I have made and loved many a recipe from this blog! This one is no exception.

THE NOTES:

This would doubled to be lunch for two people over one workweek.

We basically quadrupled the amount of kale from this original recipe to make this a little more of a salad than a couscous, which I think was a good decision.

I ended up adding more cranberries to my individual lunch portions as well.

We also made some extra vinaigrette to put in our lunches day of while we were packing them up. We didn’t put in a whole amount of dressing because we didn’t want everything to get too soggy, which it didn’t, especially since we had so much extra kale.

This is a really, really good salad. It know it seems fall-like, but the citrus-y vinaigrette, cranberries, and kale make it feel summery to me.