Weekday lunches are like firecrackers. Brilliant fun but deadly if handled incorrectly. Okay, so my analogy is a bit extreme but let's think about it. We all try to be healthy everyday (almost). We start our days off with a nutritious breakfast or at least a semi-nutritious one. And when we come home, at least one attempt is made towards a decent healthful meal for dinner. Where we can seriously go wrong is lunch. This 5 letter simpleton is a burr in my weekly saddle!
I love sandwiches but I just can't stomach them 5 days a week every week. Plus, just a simple turkey and cheese doesn't do it for me. It's got to be - turkey, cheese, spinach, sun dried tomato, maybe some mushroom or even a little arugula. High maintenance. Eating out is a great option but it drains the pocket. Seriously - I know! Also, even if you try to eat healthy, how do you really know whats in your lunch? Some days I wish I had a personal chef who could make me the perfect lunch every week day with just the right amount of variety.
But ...... I don't have one. So, to control my wallet and my waist line I've been attempting my own take on creative lunches. My general culinary forays have been whole wheat veggie wraps with hummus, left overs from the night before and when I'm really low down - canned soups. These have worked well for me in small doses. I had to find something that could be healthy and potentially mouth-watering.
One of my favorite lunches so far has been a recipe that my friend Haley shared with me - Tofu Surprise. Trust me, its not a culinary horror show like the much dreaded cafeteria lunch special. I modified the original (as always) to make an curry infused version of tofu, veggies and couscous. Over the last year, it has become one of my favorite summer lunches to take to work with a side of chilled grapes as dessert! I'll share full details and pictures next time.
Another lunch time favorite of mine is Quinoa. My love for rice is extreme bordering on obsessive addiction. I have to temper this love by finding healthier alternatives. According to Wikipedia, Quinoa become highly appreciated for its nutritional value, as its protein content is very high (12%–18%), it also contains a balanced set of essential amino acids and is a source of dietary fiber. It KO's most other grains by packing in a punch of phosphorus, magnesium and iron. It is also easy to digest and gluten free. See - sometimes even I make good choices! :)
Today, I really wanted something good for this week's lunch tableau. I had a bunch of left over veggies, some shrimp and a desire for some Thai Red Curry. I chose to make Red Curry Quinoa with Green onions and baby portabella mushrooms.
2 cloves of garlic, 5 stalks of green onions (minced), 1 packet of baby bella mushrooms, 1/2 packet of cabbage, 1.5 cups of peas 'n' carrots mix and a handful of pre cleaned pre cooked shrimp was my base. In a wok, I heated 1.5 tsp of olive oil (sesame might be good too), added the green onions and garlic. After sauteing for about half a minute, I tossed in a few red pepper flakes, the shrimp and the rest of the veggies. I also added a semi big handful of red chili powder (I like some serious spice in my red curry). Once the veggies start to sweat (this should take about 4 mins or so), I toss in 1/2 a can of red curry paste (found in any Asian market). To this I added, 2/3 cup of low fat coconut milk and my secret ingredient (1 ground up chicken bullion cube cube). Don't ask why this works so well - it just does! Once all of these ingredients started simmering, I added a 1.5 cups of Quinoa and 2.5 cups of water. I also added salt now (adding it earlier during the cooking makes you have to use more salt). This controls your sodium intake. Per quinoa box instructions, I brought this to a boil, covered wok and simmered for 15 minutes (more like 25 mins until the quinoa had soaked up all the moisture).
The end result was dee-lish! It certainly isn't as fabulous as having Red Curry w/ rice for lunch. But, it is a spicy sultry mid-day break that will wake up my senses this week. I plan on packing 1 and 1/4 cup of this every day this week. To add variety, I'll keep changing my post lunch dessert. I''m thinking - yogurt, grapes, or even fresh cucumbers. Who knows!
My taste buds are certainly looking forward to this culinary experience!....
