#Lunch Series Number Eight

We have been home from Florida for almost two weeks now, but I'm still trying to finish up on posting the recipes for my Instagram #lunch photos. Posting these dishes is a bit of a cheat - most were made from leftovers and a lot of the recipes for them have been already posted on this blog. Hence, some include links to follow. But, all the #Lunch Series posts I've done are real favorites and I find myself craving them over and over again.

Curried Red Cabbage Slaw - Serves Four

Ingredients:

4 cups shredded red cabbage

1/4 cup diced red onion

1/4 cup sunflower seeds

1/4 cup raisins

1/2 cup olive oil

1/4 cup apple cider vinegar

1 teaspoon sweet curry powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

In a bowl, combine cabbage, onion, sunflower seeds and raisins.

Whisk together oil, vinegar, curry powder, salt, pepper and garlic powder.

Drizzle dressing over cabbage mixture to coat. 

If desired add cooked sweet potato cubes and a sprinkling of chopped parsley.

Follow this link for an easy roasted chicken recipe.

Chopped Mediterranean Salad - Serves 4

Ingredients:

1 cucumber, diced
1 tomato, diced
1 cup chopped parsley leaves, flat leaf or curly or a combination of both
1/4 cup chopped red onion
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup Greek yogurt
2 tablespoons tahini
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon Kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 cup chopped chicken, optional
1 teaspoon sumac for sprinkling optional

Combine cucumber, tomato, parsley, onion and chicken if using in a bowl. Whisk together oil, yogurt, tahini, lemon juice, salt and pepper. Pour over the cucumber mixture. Divide onto plates and if desired, sprinkle each serving with sumac.

Chicago Dog

Place a cooked all beef hot dog in a bun. Poppy seed buns are the authentic choice, but unless you are around Chicago, they may be hard to find. Top the dog with yellow mustard, minced onions, shredded iceberg lettuce, pickle relish, diced tomatoes, pickle and a sprinkling of celery salt.

Avocado Brunch/Lunch Salad - Serves Four

Ingredients:

2 avocados, peeled and chopped

8 slices of bacon, turkey or regular, chopped

2 medium tomatoes, diced

1 tablespoon red onion, diced.

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 tablespoon red wine vinegar

1/4 teaspoon Kosher salt

Chili flakes for sprinkling

Poached eggs for serving - click this link for a post with tutorial video on poaching eggs

Place the avocados, bacon, tomatoes, onion, oil, vinegar and salt in bowl. Gently toss. Divide onto serving plates. Top with poached eggs and sprinkle with chili flakes.

#Lunch Series Number Seven

Here is my seventh quartet of #Lunch recipes. Once again, I used left overs, for instance the peppers and onions from fajitas in the grilled cheese. And, don't be afraid to change these recipes up and make them your own, just like I did with the lentil soup below.  But don't just limit them to lunch - they are great for dinner too!

Pulled Pork Tacos - Serves Six to Eight

Ingredients for the Pulled Pork:

2 pound pork shoulder roast
1 (15 oz.) can beef broth
4 cloves garlic, put through a press
2 tablespoons lime juice
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 teaspoons lemon pepper
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
Plenty of corn tortillas to serve with Cabbage Salad and Pickled Onions
This link for Cabbage Salad and Pickled Onions 

Directions:

Heat the oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit or get out your crock pot and set it on high. Pour the beef broth into a deep baking pan or into the crock pot.

In a small bowl, combine the garlic, lime juice, olive oil, lemon pepper, chili powder and smoked paprika. Trim any excess fat and remove any string from the roast. Rub the garlic mixture into the roast.

Lower the spice rubbed roast into the baking pan or the crock pot. Cover the baking pan with foil or put the lid on the crock pot. Allow the roast to cook for 4 to 5 hours or until the meat is easily shredded with a fork.

Remove the roast from the pan or pot and place on serving platter. Scrape away any excess fat. Using two forks, shred the meat. Spoon some of the cooking liquid onto meat.
Serve with warm corn tortillas, Cabbage Salad and Pickled Onions.

Sort of Homemade Tomato Soup - Serves Four

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
2 slices good bread
2 garlic cloves, put through a press
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil leaves
1 (15 oz.) can tomato sauce
1 (15 oz.) can chopped tomatoes
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/2 cup evaporated milk
Cream or extra evaporated milk for drizzling

Directions: 

Make croutons by cutting the bread slices into cubes. Heat one tablespoon of olive oil in a skillet and add bread cubes. Cook the bread crumbs about 2 to 3 minutes on each side until browned. Set aside.

Heat the olive oil in a soup pan. Add the garlic and basil leaves. Saute them for 30 seconds. Add the tomato sauce, chopped tomatoes, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, turn down heat and simmer for five minutes. Take off the heat. Stir in the evaporated milk. Pour into bowls and serve with croutons floating on top. Drizzle with some cream or extra evaporated milk if desired.

Grilled Cheese with Fajita Peppers and Onions

Ingredients for Each Sandwich:

2 slices good bread
1 to 2 tablespoon olive oil
2 slices white cheddar
*2 to 3 tablespoons fajita style bell peppers and onions

*Slice any color bell peppers of your choice, enough to total 2 peppers and place in a microwave safe dish. Peel and slice a yellow onion and add to peppers. Mix with 1/2 cup olive oil, 1/4 cup plain white vinegar, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon pepper, 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder and 1/4 teaspoon oregano. Pour olive oil mixture over peppers and onions. Cook peppers and onion mixture in microwave for 5 minutes. (This is just delicious when you mix the cooked pepper mixture with sliced Tex Mex Chicken and served as fajitas.)

To Assemble Sandwich:

Brush one side of each bread slice with olive oil. Put a slice of cheddar cheese on each not oiled side. Add 2 to 3 tablespoons of the fajita pepper mixture on top of the cheddar on one slice. Put the sandwich together, oiled sides facing out. Place a skillet over medium low heat and coat surface with just a bit of olive oil. Put sandwich in a skillet and  - only turning once - brown each side about 3 to 4 minutes. Remove from pan, let cool for a minute and slice in half to serve.

Polly Castor's Lemony Lentil Soup with Turmeric

Click on this link for Polly's original recipe for Lemony Lentil Soup with Tumeric from her wonderful blog, PollyCastor.com

Full disclosure - I made some adjustments due to the fact I really wanted to make this soup but didn't have everything on hand!

I used 1 cup of regular lentils instead of red lentils.

I did not have any leeks, so I used a yellow onion instead along with 2 garlic cloves, pressed.

I did not use the mustard seeds.

I did not deglaze the pan with the juice of a lemon, but just used the broth called for in the recipe.

I did not puree the soup.

I added just 2 tablespoons of lemon juice at the end of cooking.

I drizzled uncooked greens and Greek yogurt with a lemon dressing of 1/4 cup olive oil whisked with 2 tablespoons lemon juice, 1/4 teaspoon salt, a pinch of garlic powder and a pinch of pepper.

Even with my adjustments, the soup was so, so delicious and I'm dreaming of it right now!

Another Round of #Lunches - This Makes Number Six

As you know by now, I'm a woman who doesn't just lunch - I eat! I'm posting four more of my recent lunches, mostly made with the help of leftover salads - even day old ones with dressing on them. I a bit shocked at how tasty they were. My challenge to myself to post my #lunch pics on Instagram is over and I'm almost done with sharing them here. So bear with me; I've only got one more set to do after this round! If you want to see all the lunches go to the blog and scroll down.

Roasted Marinated Vegetables & Chicken

To assemble this salad, I put down a bed of spinach on a plate and then topped it with some chicken and veggies.

 I used leftover sliced Zesty Chicken Oregano , which is a recipe you really should have in your bag of tricks due to the fact that you can do so many things with it.

 The marinated roasted vegetables were actually just a leftover Tomato Bean Salad that I roasted along with some cauliflower florets. I laid the bean salad and cauliflower on a foil covered sheet pan. It all roasted in a 375 degree oven (or even place the pan on the grids of a medium hot grill) for 20 to 25 minutes until the veggies got brown.

I topped it with a dollop of an aioli type mixture comprised of 1/2 cup mayonnaise, 1/2 teaspoon chili powder, 1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt and 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika. 

  

Spinach & Quinoa Stir Fry with Roasted Squash and Peppers

I took a serving of leftover Sunshine Spinach Salad and put it in a skillet - walnuts, oranges and all. I sauted it over medium heat until spinach wilted even more than it already had. Then I added a serving of cooked quinoa and mixed it in. After putting it on a serving plate, I topped it with roasted peppers and squash - I tossed them with a couple drizzles of olive oil as well as salt and pepper. They can either be roasted in a 375 degree oven for 25 to 30 minutes or grill them over medium heat. I finished it all off with some a drizzle of olive oil, a splash of vinegar and a sprinkle of Kosher salt.

Jennifer's Favorite Curried Chicken Salad 

 Ingredients for Four Servings:

2 cups cooked chicken, cut into bite sized pieces
1 apple, diced (Granny Smith is best if you have it)
2 tablespoons diced celery
2 tablespoons dried raisins
2 tablespoons chopped nuts (pecans are great, but any or none will do)
2 tablespoons diced onion (white, yellow, red or green)
1/2 cup mayonnaise
2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
1 1/2 teaspoons sweet curry powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper

Combine the chicken, apple, celery, raisins, nuts  and onions in a bowl. Whisk together mayonnaise, vinegar, curry powder, salt and pepper. Add enough of the mayonnaise mixture to the chicken combination to coat it well, but not have the chicken be swimming in it. Serve on top of greens.

Chickpea Salad with Lemony Salted Yogurt and Plenty of Dill

Ingredients for Two Servings

1 (15 oz.) can of chickpeas, rinsed and drained
1 medium tomato, diced
1 avocado, diced
1/2 medium cucumber, diced
1 tablespoon diced red onion
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 cup Greek yogurt
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon dried dill
1/4 teaspoon Kosher salt
1 bunch of fresh dill and pita bread for serving

Gently combine all chickpeas, tomato, avocado, onion, olive oil, vinegar, 1/2 teaspoon salt, pepper and garlic powder in a bowl. Whisk together yogurt, lemon juice and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Divide chickpea mixture between two plates. Put 2 tablespoons of  yogurt mixture to side. Serve with pita and fresh dill.