More lunch ideas

Not being a fan of simple cold sandwiches lunches are a bit of a challenge. I try and make interesting, healthy and light meals for the office. In part i'm sort of trapped and it easy to force myself to eat what i've made for lunch. Salads always work pretty well. I generally bring enough for three days, and just dole it out day by day. I find actually putting it on a real plate or bowl, with cutlery makes it a lot more appealing, and i pay a bit more attention to what i'm eating. (a problem i have once its in front of me)

Luckily i have one of those offices where no one is going to steal my yogurt or spinach, so i'm free to store a few days or even a week's worth of food. I also find this easier than dreading what to make for lunch every night before bed.

Last week i made a black bean, corn, jalapeno and tomato salad. I served it over spinach with a sour cream lime dressing. It was really tasty and i used some of the salad as a topping for my potato tacos. Its all about the double duty.

This week i went with a really easy soup - Tomato and balsamic. I had read it on a blog a while ago and it was sitting around in my "Recipe" file (piles of printouts of recipes among cook books with lots of bookmarks). The Recipe called for a can of fat-free evaporated milk, and i just couldn't add something so gross, so instead i went with tofu to give it the creamy texture, plus it was fortified with calcium. You were supposed to make Parmesan crisps, but mine didn't really turn out too well, so i'll have toast and salad with it instead.

Above:

Soup Ingredients
Roasting the canned tomatoes in a broth, soy and balsamic marinade
Final Product
Black bean ingredients
Lunch ready for transport

Saturday Morning - the Sub Zero Edition

Toronto is suffering quite a cold spell, what a better way to start off your sunny yet freezing weekend with a nice brunch, the paper and a little yoga. I had this bag of fingerling potatoes that i don't really remember buying, and was looking for another dish to use them in. I didn't grow up in a real meat and potatoes family so other than french fries i don't really crave them. But i remembered when i was a teenager that i had a boyfriend who's mother made the most amazing potato hash. I figured that would be a good base for saturday brunch.

Rummaging through my fridge i found the usual suspects; eggs, rye bread, grape tomatoes, avocados... The rest just came together pretty simply. I made a fresh salsa with the tomatoes and avocados along with some green onions i found in the crisper. I'd over done the poaching thing recently with all my new gadgets, so i thought a fried egg seemed somehow in order. I left it a little runny as i don't really like yolk when its cooked through.

The potatoes were as good as i remembered them, i just used A LOT of black pepper some red chili flakes, and rosemary. (i always use rosemary with potatoes for some reason, no matter what the recipe). I had to add some more olive oil mid-way as the potatoes were really sticking to the bottom of the pan. Next time i might do them in my non-stick, but i didn't want to have to clean it out to do the egg in between, instead the pan is soaking in the sink!

Above:

Purple potato hash ingredients
Cooking hash
Salsa in the sun
Last Bite...
Brunch

Double Duty - the Tuna edition

Making lunches for work can be kind of a tedious thing, but unfortunately i work in mississauga and although there is a lot of really good ethnic food around it does involve getting into my car and spending money, so i try at least four days a week to make lunch. Since my first double duty recipe worked pretty well, i decided to try it out with lunches - in particular a can of tuna. I make tuna salad with lots of veggies all the time for lunch, but by day three i'm less that thrilled. I thought i would try a light dinner and lunch the next day combo.

For my tuna salad i like to add lots of veggies to give it crunch and a lot of moisture without adding a ton of mayo. This time i added granny smith apples (diced) carrots, green onions and sundried tomatoes in oil. For the dressing i used some of the oil from the sundried tomatoes, a little mayo (it is traditional),some Kozlicks' dijon mustard (the BEST mustard) and a little fresh ground peeper. I use the President's Choice blue menu tuna - its albacore and its done in a low sodium broth - you would be surprised how much sald is added to canned goods!

Half of it i added to some shredded cabbage for lunch salad, the other half i made a very tasty sandwich with melted cheese and avocado on marble rye.

Both were very tasty.


Above:


the tuna ingredients
Lunch time
Light dinner

Double Duty

At my gym (with all that liquid cheese i do have to work out) they have subscriptions to "women's" magazines which i always take a look at for food ideas. Most of the recipes are a little too "kid-friendly" for my taste buds aka chicken, but i noticed that they would often try and make things that you could use the next day but in a entirely different meal. I only have to cook for myself, but i understand its tough to make every meal from scratch, so i decided to try making a little more of things, but using them in a totally different meal. It actually worked really well and made me think about what i was making in a different way.

Meal One: (Saturday)

Talapia with asparagus and roasted fingerling potatoes.

I picked up a couple talapia filets from the grocery store, talapia is pretty versatile fish and it can take a lot of flavour. I first melted butter and olive oil and spread it on the fish, then seasoned them with a mixture of cumin, red pepper, black pepper and salt. At the same time i roasted the potatoes in olive oil, rosemary and pepper. I broiled the fish, five minutes a side and threw some leftover asparagus in at the last minute.

Meal Two: (Sunday)

I took the left over potatoes and chopped them, sauteing them with garlic and adding a little taco seasoning. Once they were heated i put them into soft (flour) tacos with cheese, sour cream and some south west salad i had made for monday's lunch. (black beans, grape tomatoes, corn, red onions, jalapeno with cumin and chipotle flakes)

Mmmmm.... potato tacos (thanks New York Subway). If i had larger flour tortillas i would have grilled burritos, but i find the small ones too difficult to work with.

Meal Three: (Monday)

There was still the fish left, and i broke it up, heated it and also made tacos, this one topped with cabbage, avocado, tomatoes and a sour cream-lime sauce. I could easily have topped a salad with this fish, but i really like fish tacos. There was actually enough fish left for two people. Next time i'll get only one filet or pick smaller ones.

Mmmmm fish tacos! (there will be an entire post about this in the future)

So maybe these magazines are onto something. Instead of eating the same thing over and over, like i usually do making too much of one thing, this idea of making extra of one thing and using it in something different works well for weekday dinners.

Above:

Talapia Tacos
South west potato tacos
Talapia dinner
Seasoning the filets

Dirty little food secrets

I would hate for people who read this blog to get the impression that i am some sort of healthy gourmand, because trust me, like every other human i have some really gross food habits that i reserve for days when i'm lazy, sick, hung over or just grouchy. Since i'm exposing my fancy/entertaining eating habits i can't pretend that i don't eat gross things too.

I have previously admitted to my popcorn with butter and Sriracha habit. I've been eating popcorn and hot sauce for years, i'm thinking i can't be the only one out there... Right? At the moment i have a crappy air popper that only does half the kernels and spits them out everywhere - its quite a task to actually make popcorn these days, and i am on the look out for a new air popper - they don't build very good ones anymore. (and no i don't own a microwave - never have, never will)

When i'm sick with a cold i have a secret passion for instant kimchi noodles. I make them in a large pot with extra water so there is a lot of broth. I each them straight out of the pot with a spoon in one hand and chopsticks in the other. Some people have told me they add vegetables to this, but that would make it work and not so gross - the whole point of them!

Now, i know those two things don't really seem that gross, but i left the grossest for last.... I love liquid cheese! About six years ago i discovered tostitos Salsa con queso and it was the beginning of a disgusting obsession. I would heat it on the stove and mix it with salsa, pouring it over chips.I couldn't stop eating it! After about six months i had a private intervention and cut myself off cold turkey, that is to say i am not allowed to purchase it. I have in my addiction made it from scratch and then there is always Raptor's games (where i get a second pack because there is never enough) and finally there is 7-11 with its pump your own cheese! If you want to get really gourmet, and make sure the attendant isn't watching you can use some of the hot dog toppings to dress it up.

I told you i was gross.

Above:

7-11 Nachos with jalapenos (the guy behind the counter was watching)
Sriracha (gonna need to buy some more)
Left over popcorn with butter and hot sauce
Kimchi noodles

Roasted Beet Salad

Like many things i make, i no longer have the original recipe for this salad, but i make it all the time. I would probably be shocked to see how different it is, but as i make it now its tasty and a very attractive recipe. The other bonus of this one is that you can roast the beets in advance so that you just assemble it at the last minute.

Ingredients:

four to six medium beets (either with greens attached or loose)
One diced shallot
Half a cup of almond slivers
Half a package of plain goat cheese
Mixed greens (i like arugula and spinach for this one, but if the beets come with greens put some of them in)
Olive oil
Red wine vinegar

How to roast beets:

This part is easy, but messy and unless you want red hands i would suggest you use gloves. I trim the ends and peel them before i roast them. Some people peel them after they are roasted - i haven't noticed any real taste difference, so its up to you. Cut them in half - or at least try and make them a similar size depending on the beet so that they roast evenly. Put approximately three pieces (depending on size) in double foil and put in the oven at 450. The time varies, but usually around forty minutes, you should be able to pierce them with a fork easily.

Meanwhile, back on the stove top...

Heat two tbsp of olive oil until shimmering. Add the almond slivers, stirring so that they cook evenly. Keep an eye on them as they can burn easily. Once they are golden remove from heat. Drain off any excess oil and reserve for dressing.

Once beets are done remove from the oven and allow cool until you can handle them. Cut into bite sized pieces, add shallots and reserved almond oil. Stir in 1 tbsp of red wine vinegar and another tbsp of olive oil. Allow the mixture to cool. I like to add the vinegar while the beets are still warm, i think it penetrates better.

To make the salad:

Place your choice of greens on a platter. Drizzle the greens with extra dressing. Spoon on beets, top with toasted almonds and crumble goat cheese.

This salad really lasts, just keep any extra beets aside and you can eat them on their own.

Enjoy!

Above:

Trimmed, peeled raw beet
Getting ready for roasting
Fresh out the oven
Beet salad and a sami

Bravo for Brunch

It was actually an ex-boyfriend who introduced me to the joys of sunday brunch with friends, laughing and rehashing our evenings. There was a group of us who would go to La Hacienda on Queen West and drink too much coffee and eat their awesome food. At first i had their french toast (which involves croissants and brie) but moved on to the jalapeno omelet - it came with guacamole. I am a sucker for good guacamole.

One thing i've learned is that brunch is also really easy to make too - even for one. My poachers have definitely allowed me to do a lot more complicated recipes like eggs benny variations, but i also like to use all my leftovers to make fritattas, as they store really well and are good hot or cold. I'm not really one for sweets, but crepes with lemon and sugar in the summer can be a really nice meal, and if all else fails i'll go for my version of Tacos El Salvidor's mexican breakfast.

Today i hosted a new year's day brunch for my family. I used the new ceramic poacher that my mom got me for christmas (she was afraid of the long term effects of silicone) and made poached eggs on sweet potato hash browns, and asparagus with horseradish cream sauce. I also made a roasted beet salad with mixed greens, almonds and goat's cheese. The meal was finished off with fig ice cream from Delight in the Junction.

Delish!

Above:

Left over eggs on sweet potato hash
New ceramic poacher
Delight Fig icecream
Brunch table
Alpine Eggs on christmas morning (pre and post)