Queuing up in front of a restaurant during the lunch break is time consuming and expensive. To slug down food within no time, will be no pleasure. Preparing the own lunch box is more convenient and tastes much better, as you know what you get.
Salads or sandwiches for lunch can also be prepared at home. What about left overs from dinner? Many offices do have microwaves or ovens to use, therefore warming up food will be no problem at all.
Chef’s Handyman, Office Lunch
I prefer light meals like salads to eat during lunch time. Preserving glasses are perfect for storing food with greens, pulses and fruits. The Chef’s Handyman team favorites the lentil chickpea salad.
Office Lunch: Chickpea lentil salad
Cook the lentils as written on the wrapping. Sieve the can with the chickpeas. Cut the dried apricots into pieces. Add all ingredients into a bowl.
Chef’s Handyman tip: Do not cook the lentils with salt they will not get soft.
To make the dressing, pour 1 tbsp. of mild curry paste into a pan. Add 1 tsp. of mustard and 0.5 cups of coconut milk. Simmer on low heat for some minutes. Then remove the pan from heat. Season the dressing with salt and black pepper. Combine the dressing with the chickpeas, lentils and apricots. Toss slightly. Add 1 tbsp. of lemon juice and lemon rind.
Preparing the rest of the office lunch
Cut the radish and the tomatoes into slices. Prepare the green salad. Add sweet corn and the red beans into a bowl. Chop arugula and cut the sweet pepper into cubes.
Add the salad by layers into the preserving glass. Start with the chickpea lentil salad.
To make the dressing for the green salad, combine 6 tbsp. of olive oil, 3 tbsp. of lemon juice, lemon zest, 2 tbsp. white balsamic vinegar, salt, black pepper, garden herbs, 1 tsp. of mustard and 1 tsp. of agave syrup.
Chef’s Handyman tip: Bottle the additional dressing. Add the dressing not before you intent to eat the salad.
Shopping list for the office lunch for 4 serves: 0.5 cups red lentils, 0.5 cups yellow lentils, 0.5 cups black lentils, 1 can chickpeas, 1 can red beans, 1 can sweet corn, 1 cup dried apricots, 1 tbsp. mild curry paste, 2 tbsp. mustard, 0.5 cups coconut milk, 1 cup arugula, 2 cups green salad leaves, 1 sweet pepper, 2 tomatoes, 6 tbsp. olive oil, 4 lemons, 2 tbsp. white balsamic vinegar, salt, black pepper, 1 bunch garden herbs, 1 bunch radish, 1 tbsp. agave syrup.
All kind of salads can be prepared as office lunch. Some of them need to be cooled.
Bon appetite and have a great start into the week, yours Chef’s Handyman team.
Not yet downloaded?
Chef’s Handyman iPhone/iPad app
A free cooking recipe regarding the office lunch will be published in the Chef’s Handyman app for iPhone/iPad. The cooking recipe can be downloaded in the e-cookbook ‘Free Trial Recipes’. Click on the update button (next to the shopping cart) on the bottom within the category screen in the free trial e-cookbook. Now the recipe and the book will be updated. Then check the icon salads. There you will find the new recipe. When the app will be downloaded the first time, the free cooking recipe will be already included. The Chef’s Handyman app can be found in the App Store.
