Three Easy Weekday Lunches
Confession: I am a professional recipe developer, and yet every single day I stand in front of my refrigerator and wonder, What’s for lunch…again?? Figuring out what to make for weekday lunch can feel about as inspiring as washing the sheets.
Once I started paying attention to the lunch foods that made me feel the best for the rest of the day, however, I came up with a handful of guidelines I try to stick to no matter what I have in the fridge and pantry. These days, my work-from-home lunches (or lunch al desko) meet the following parameters:
Exciting enough to eat that I’m not tempted to order a mediocre salad instead
Made with ingredients already in the house
Filling and fueling, without inducing a post-meal nap
Requires no more than 5-10 minutes to put together
Focused on assembly/throwing things together rather than actual cooking
Upgraded Tuna Salad
The “upgrade” in question is a handful of chopped peperoncini and a splash of the pickling brine. Any chopped pickle + brine combo (dill pickles, kimchi, sauerkraut) adds transformative brightness to a familiar tuna salad.
Dress some lettuce (Bibb, romaine, or iceberg are all good options) with lemon, extra-virgin olive oil, and salt and pepper in a mixing bowl. Arrange lettuce on a plate or shallow bowl and top with some sliced avocado.
Drain two 5-oz. cans of tuna and dump into the same mixing bowl. Add the saucy stuff: a big spoonful of mayonnaise (or extra-virgin olive oil if you don’t do mayo), a small spoonful of Dijon mustard, a couple of dashes of hot sauce, and a squeeze of lemon juice or splash of your favorite vinegar. Now add optional crunchies: 2 chopped celery stalks, ¼ diced red onion or some shallot/scallions, a small handful of chopped herbs (dill or parsley are my favorites), and, critically, 2-3 chopped peperoncini with a splash of their pickling brine. Season with salt and pepper. Mix until combined. Place a big scoop on top of the salad and enjoy.
Other ideas with tuna salad: Smash a little avocado on toasted grainy bread and pile tuna salad on top for an open-faced tartine, or eat with hearty crackers like Wasa or seed-packed crispbreads.
Dressed-Up Lentils with a Fried Egg
I often make a pot of lentils and a sheet pan of roasted vegetables to eat throughout the week. Realizing I only enjoy lentils warm was a game-changer and made them a lot more appealing as a go-to lunch option.
Dress some arugula or other peppery salad greens with lemon, extra-virgin olive oil, and salt and pepper in a mixing bowl. Arrange greens on a plate or shallow bowl. Reheat 1 cup cooked lentils (French, brown, or green) and toss with 1 cup of leftover roasted vegetables in the same bowl. Season with a tiny splash of red wine vinegar or squeeze of lemon juice, extra-virgin olive oil, salt, and pepper. Add a few shavings of Parmesan and/or thinly sliced scallions if you’d like. Spoon the warm lentils on top of the greens and finish with a runny fried egg.
Kitchen Sink Sandwich
Whenever I have a whole-grain, seeded sandwich loaf (Lost Bread Co. sells an incredible loaf at my local farmers market in Brooklyn), these towering kitchen sink sandwiches — inspired by classic hippie fare — inevitably find their way into my lunch rotation. Think of these as a salad sandwiched between two slices of bread. And like any good salad, a kitchen sink sandwich comprises multiple flavors and textures.
Spread one slice of grainy bread with mashed avocado or hummus. Spread a second slice of bread with a thick layer of herby goat cheese (also good: a plank of feta, fresh mozzarella, sharp cheddar, or even cream cheese). Fill the sandwich with any/all of the following:
Something crunchy: Cucumber, tomato, lettuce, apples, thinly sliced radishes or fennel, shredded carrots
Something hearty: Baked tofu, sliced hard-boiled egg, sliced leftover roasted vegetables (beets, squash, sweet potato, or carrots are especially good)
Something pickle-y: Pickled beets, pickled carrots, sauerkraut, chopped kimchi, pickled onions
Sprouts and herbs: Alfalfa, broccoli, or any sprouts you fancy — but an inch-high tuft of sprouts is a must for proper hippie sandwich vibes. Add tender herbs, such as basil, mint, cilantro, or parsley.
Finish the sandwich by seasoning both halves with a squeeze of lemon and some salt and pepper before closing it up (this ties all the flavors together).
