Lighten and Brighten Your Lunch

If you work from home like I do - maybe, sometimes, you don't really fix yourself a real lunch.  Maybe you just munch a bit here and there - like grab an apple, eat a bagel.  Maybe you eat standing up or don't even use a plate.  Ok- I have bad eating habits even though I eat healthy, the fact that I don't fix a real meal and sit down to enjoy it probably has an impact on my digestion and my lunch health as a whole.  How about you?

One of the benefits of staying home to work is not having to buy meals - or even prepare them to carry in to work.  But sometimes, that makes meal time both boring and lonely.  Or at least that's how it is for me.  I've been trying to create exciting lunch meals for myself that I actually sit down and eat - from a plate.

Here's what I made today:

Crisp butterhead lettuce from my CSA.  A layer or organic pea shoots (Trader Joes).  Some shreds of raw organic sharp cheddar (Oakmont Farmer's Market).  I put these on a plate and then made up a fancy tuna salad to put on top.  I used a can of TJs tuna, a tablespoon or so of organic mayo, salt, pepper, shredded carrots, chopped red pearl onions (CSA), walnut pieces and topped it off with fresh dill (CSA).

It looked super pretty and it tasted great! I was satisfied all day.  It felt more like a treat than my usual stand around and grab some food kinda lunches.  Now, I'm not opposed to having a friend join me for such a lunch, but today - I ate this solo.

Do you work from home?  What's lunch like for you - do you sit down and eat a formal meal?  Anything that you love to make that's easy and filling and quick to both make and eat?  I'm happy to hear all about it - Sher

Pan Fried Stir Fry

I really don't know nothin' bout cookin' Asian food.

In fact I don't know nothin' bout cookin' most food - but I wing it and get lucky pretty often.

My friend JoAnn (yes this post is for you dear!) and I joined a CSA (community supported agriculture).  We split one full veggie share and we each get our own fruit share.  Neither of us has ever done a CSA.  So far it's been fun - and adventurous and new and fresh and cool.  So far, we have eaten a mountain of lettuce!  It's really awesome to be trying this with a friend.  Today JoAnn gave me some funny looks when I told her to take her share of certain CSA items and I instead came home with all of the beets and all of the swiss chard.  We also got a bunch of stuff I'd never eaten: fennel, radicchio, escarole.  AND... I had never cooked my own beets.

Because we are trying so many new things, I often suggest to JoAnn things that she can try to cook with the items that are new to us.  Today, I came home and experimented with all the food we got and tasted everything and decided I would make some sort of an Asian inspired dish.  Now, as I said before, I don't know nothin' bout cookin' Asian food - and that is the truth!

But, I do know that I like fresh veggies and I do know that I like pan fried (crispy) noodles.  So I decided to do that.  Here is what I came up with and it was REALLY - seriously like I was some kinda cooking pro - REALLY good.  Give it a try JoAnn - I think you have all the ingredients!

Oh yeah, did I mention that I had the beet greens because I roasted my own beets?  I put the beets in a little foil packet with some olive oil and put them in the toaster oven at 375F and then promptly forgot about them for 40 mins which as it turned out was the perfect amount of roasting time.  When I took them out of the foil and ran them under cold water, the skins came right off.  I then sliced them up and stored them in the fridge to add to salads - YUM.

Once the noodles are almost crisped enough, I toss all the separate veggies (and shrimp) back into the pan and let them warm and blend together on medium heat for just a bit.  At that time, I dump in any sauce I have made for the dish.

Now, when it comes to the sauce, you can simply buy a sauce you like at an Asian market but I usually make my own.  I have no idea what I'm doing when I make it - I simply take every Asian inspired ingredient from my fridge and mix them til it tastes right to me.  Today I used: ginger/garlic paste, chili sauce (Siracha would work here as well), sesame oil, rice wine vinegar, soy sauce, peanut sauce and a bit of brown sugar.  I just kept mixing until it tasted the way I wanted it to.  So - good luck.  Mine was delish by the way.

As soon as I add the sauce and give it all a stir, I turn off the heat and get ready to serve.

Put some crispy noodles on the plate and top with the veggie/sauce mixture.  Whether you eat it with a fork or chop sticks, ENJOY!