One double portion of the summer salad to go, please!

Jil wrote this post for you – including her own recipe ideas. We tested them at lunch today and found them very tasty.
Enjoy!
Joanna



When I still went to school there was hardly anything better than recess.
Chatting to your heart’s delight and above all – eating!

It’s crazy how much energy our bodies need, be it during class, work or a day full of activities.

During the well-earned lunch break we can recharge so that we may have enough power for the remaining hours. At this point there is nothing better than to provide your brain with the best basics to be able to get back to work full force.

The problem with most cafeterias and food trucks, such as Döner/burritos etc.: you immediately feel really sluggish and would like to just lie down.

However, the 5$ salad from the nearest grocery store, with three leaves of iceberg lettuce, neither fills you nor brings you joy – no matter how we look at it.

At the same time there are great foodstuffs that will fill you, with pleasure, and recharge you completely, without feeling as if you just swallowed a ton of bricks.
Colorful salads, prepared in no time and by no means boring.

If you don’t want to sacrifice 5-10 minutes in the morning, you can, of course, prepare them the night before, nothing here will dry out quickly. 
Everything can be tossed up really fast, dressing can simply be poured on top.

Prepare a lot.
Go ahead and buy a big lunchbox that really holds a decent amount – you are allowed to eat more than your fill of these super healthy salads.
Provide your body with valuable nutrients.

The quantities in the recipes are up to your individual taste, mix at will! With these salads especially it is important to chop the ingredients in the right way in order to coax out the maximum flavor. And don’t underestimate the pizzazz of fresh herbs, it’s always a good idea to add lots.

1. A trip to Nice

Ingredients:

1 generous handful of cherry tomatoes

½ to ¾ can white beans  

1 hard-boiled egg (I always have one boiling away simultaneously with breakfast)

½ to 1 zucchini

½ to 1 carrot

some dried tomatoes

some olives

one small pickled artichoke

a generous handful of fresh basil leaves

Dressing:

2 Tbsp olive oil

1- 1 ½ Tbsp white balsamic vinegar

a squirt of lemon juice and a dribble of honey

salt, pepper

Drain white beans and pour into lunch box, cut tomatoes, depending on size, into halves or quarters, slice dried tomatoes and olives. Quarter egg and artichoke, julienne basil leaves. Finely cube zucchini and carrot and briefly sauté in a frying pan. Mix dressing to taste, it can be poured directly on top of the salad, since there’s nothing that might wilt.

The beans are supposed to be the biggest ingredient in size, everything else (except egg and artichoke) are cut up to a smaller size.

To bring along:

A big jar (1 quart), for example at Amazon HERE or HERE.

2. Ninja-Party 

Ingredients:

About ¼ package rice noodles (use your visual judgment here)

1 handful of radishes

1 small handful of cauliflower

1 handful of sugar snap peas

1 carrot

lots and lots of bamboo sprouts

1 handful of salted peanuts

a heap of fresh cilantro

Dressing:

Mix a little bit of light soy sauce, fish sauce, lime juice and honey.

Steep rice noodles according to instructions on packet. In the meantime quarter radishes. Separate cauliflower into small florets, either add as are or briefly boil together with rice noodles. Finely slice sugar snap peas, carrot and cilantro, leaving slices as long as possible. They are supposed to imitate the shape of the rice noodles to be able to be rolled up like spaghetti later on. Chop peanuts into little pieces, add sprouts. Also add the dressing directly to the salad, so the flavors can merge ideally. 

You can get a big plastic box at Smallable or Amazon.

3. Mexican chill-out

Ingredients:

1 portion whole wheat penne pasta

½ can kidney beans

¼ can corn

½ red onion

1 bell pepper

½ tomato

some basil leaves

Dressing:

2 Tbsp olive oil

1 Tbsp dark balsamic vinegar

a tiny bit of chopped chiles, and/or chile flakes

1 Tbsp red pesto (choose one you like best)

salt and pepper

I love a tasty Chile con Carne, this salad is my “raw” interpretation of this rich stew. Cook penne, chop onion as finely as possible, cut bell pepper and tomato into small cubes, mix everything with beans and corn. Roughly tear basil leaves and add to the salad together with the dressing.

Metal lunchboxes at Amazon HERE or HERE.

My favorite water bottles are by Eva Solo (via Amazon).

So simple, so easily prepped ahead of time! 

For dessert a second box with fresh fruit and nuts? Or a cut-up apple with some salted peanut butter for dipping?

Also very tasty: a portion of plain yogurt (soy, Greek…) with fresh berries. Just add the portion into the box, fill empty space around it with berries or other toppings and top the yogurt when ready. 

The perfect lunch break, no lengthy queues nor boring taste – let’s see how many classmates want to try a bite, and which colleagues throw glances ;).


Big platters by Rice via Geliebtes Zuhause.


Love,
Jil


This post was translated by Ginnell Studio.