Recipes for when you need your dinner to be your lunch
or for your lunch to be your lunch for many lunches, you know?
Hello, chefs.
Like many of us, for the last three years, I haven’t had much of a reason to think about packing a lunch because my office was my dining room (and then my kitchen, and then my guest room, and now my shed). But this week, I was reminded of the life-changing magic of having a salad in your fridge.
I’m not talking about a chopped salad that withers away sadly while you order Postmates for the third time that week. I mean the kind of salad that you’re excited to eat, even if you also ate it 24 hours ago, and doesn’t get weird and slimy after a day or two.
There was a time in my life when I was the reigning queen of the Fridge Salad™️. In fact, it was kind of my job. When I was 22 I knew I wanted to buy a house, so I convinced a bunch of people to let me meal prep for them every week to make extra cash (teaching, it turns out, is not a money-printing kinda gig). Fridge salads that don’t suck were my brand.
Now, after years of being on tour, Mr. Faith starts an in-town, on-site job next week (!!), so I’ve been thinking about lunches again. Not just because I want him to have something to take to work, but also because in lieu of our usual lunchtimes together, typically spent poking around the fridge and catching up on our mornings in no particular hurry, I’ll have an hour every day to spend all alone. And you know what? If I’m spending it alone, there’s a whole slew of stuff I’d rather be doing than cooking.
So, we’re back to some version of meal prep that doesn’t crush your soul. I have a few winners for you this week; let’s get into it.
-Faith
Turmeric couscous salad
Make a cup of couscous according to the package instructions.
Drain a can of chickpeas and toss in olive oil, salt, pepper, and cayenne. Bake at 450 for ~10 minutes or until crispy.
Make your dressing: in a small jar with a lid, combine the juice of 1 lemon, an equal part olive oil, salt, pepper, 1 tsp turmeric, 1/2 teaspoon cumin, and red pepper flakes. Shake well.
Chop 1/2 red onion and 3 carrots into bite-sized pieces.
Mix it up: Add your couscous, chopped veg, crispy chickpeas, a handful of raisins, and any fresh herbs you have (I used dill) into a large bowl. Drizzle your dressing over and toss.
Have it cold all on its own, over a bed of greens, scooped up into warm pita with Greek yogurt, wrapped up in a tortilla and toasted on the stove, warmed up with crispy tofu or rotisserie chicken…you get it.
Salsa salad
I don’t know what else to call this; it’s basically a salsa masquerading as a salad. But it’s hearty and fresh and can be eaten about 1,000 different ways, which is the trick to making a fridge salad feel fresh every time you eat it. We had it with fish tacos this week (pictured), but I’ve also had it warm in a burrito or rice bowl, over a bed of greens, all alone with grilled shrimp or steak on it, or just scooped up with tortillas.
Chop up 2 red peppers, a bunch of cilantro, a hot pepper of choice, and a bunch of green onions.
Drain and rinse a can of black beans and a can of sweet corn.
Mix it all together with the juice of two limes, salt and pepper, and red pepper flakes to taste.
Seriously. That’s it.
Quinoa and broccoli spoon salad
This is from Sohla El-Waylly at NYTCooking, and is another one of those recipes that feels way too simple to be true AND can be eaten all alone, in a wrap, or with something delicious on top.
Prep a cup of quinoa based on package instructions.
Make your dressing: In a small jar with a lid, combine the juice of 1 lemon, 3 tbsp olive oil, 3 tbsp dijon, 2 tbsp honey, 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar, salt and black pepper. Shake to combine.
Chop up: a head of broccoli, an apple, 4 oz of sharp cheddar
Combine everything above with a handful each of pecans and cranberries.