Cooking Light
Thinking outside the lunch box can be a challenge. Five balanced recipes you can prepare within 20 minutes, and are a complete midday meal.
Quick and healthy lunch recipes to keep you going throughout the day
How many stories have you read about breakfast being the most important meal of the day and how dinner must always be kept light? One every day I am sure. But what about lunch, the meal that comes right in the middle of our working day and which more often than not gets either skipped or eaten hurriedly? We are all guilty of not putting in enough thought into this equally important meal. It’s time to change and talk about lunch.
A balanced meal eaten midday can go a long way to help offset everyday stress and the wear and tear to the body. A heavy meal, on the other hand, can lead to fatigue and sleepiness. So, don’t go for whatever’s convenient or at hand such as bread pakora from the shop near the office. Try to organise a good home-cooked style meal for lunch. Going low carb or no carb on the days when you have lots of work on hand is always a good idea. Make and take these five recipes for lunch—one for each day of the working week.
CHICKPEA SALAD
Preparation time 20 minutes Ingredients 200 g pumpkin, halved, de-seeded and cubed without peeling; 1 large carrot, cut into chunks; 5 fresh thyme or tulsi sprigs; 1 tbsp olive oil; 1 spring onion; 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar; 100 g cooked chickpeas; 15 g pine nuts; 100 g lettuce
Method Preheat oven to 190°C (375°F). Place pumpkin and carrot in a roasting tin, scatter thyme, drizzle oil, season with salt and pepper and roast for 20 minutes. Remove from oven, add onion, drizzle some oil and toss to coat. Roast for 20 minutes. Drizzle balsamic vinegar, stir in and set aside to cool. Finally toss together chickpeas, vegetables,
nuts and lettuce in a large bowl.
Good for Chickpeas are loaded with fibre and are packed with antioxidants such as Vitamin C, E and beta-carotene and have loads of mineral manganese too.
BAKED FISH WITH SPINACH
Preparation time 15 minutes
Ingredients 1 tbsp cooking oil; 1 chopped onion; 1 fresh tomato, chopped; 1 clove garlic, minced; 1 tbsp parsley; 1/2 tsp pepper; 1/2 tsp salt; 1 tbsp lemon juice; 100 g fresh spinach, chopped and blanched; 250 g fish, whole (cleaned and washed); 1 tbsp white wine (optional)
Method Saute onions in oil, add garlic, tomatoes, parsley, salt and pepper. Cook for 10 minutes. Sprinkle fish lightly with salt and lemon juice. Arrange tomato mixture in a baking dish, lay fish on top and arrange spinach around it. Pour wine over it. Cover with aluminium foil and bake in preheated 350°C oven for 30 minutes. Uncover and continue baking for 15 minutes.
Partake because This fish and spinach combination delivers a very high protein, high fibre and nutrients. And the carbohydratefree lunch is good for days when you want to avoid feeling snoozy during the day or have an important presentation immediately after lunch.
ALL-IN-ONE SALAD
Preparation time 20 minutes Ingredients 1 small onion, finely chopped; 1 potato, boiled; 1 tomato, quartered; 1 hard-boiled egg, quartered; 1/2 cucumber, peeled and cubed; 1/2 cup sprouts; 50 g tofu, cubed; 1/2 cup lettuce, torn; a few olives; salt and pepper to taste; juice of 1 lemon.
For sauce, have 1 tbsp olive oil; 10 g roasted peanuts, ground; 1 tbsp maple syrup; juice of 1 lemon; 1 cup water.
Method Put all the salad ingredients together. To make sauce, heat oil, add peanuts, maple syrup and salt. Stir well. Add water and cook till thickened. Add
lime juice and seasonings. Serve with salad.
Perfect meal Tofu and sprouts deliver easy to digest protein whereas veggies deliver vitamins and minerals and potato some starch, making this a perfect high protein and fibre lunch.
BOILED BEETROOT SALAD WITH BERRIES AND GARDEN GREENS
Preparation time 15 minutes Ingredients 30 g beetroot;
40 g salad leaves; 5 g capers or gherkins; a few strawberries; salt and pepper to taste;
1 tbsp olive oil;
15 g crumbled goat cheese Method Place thinly sliced beetroot on a plate.In a separate bowl, add salad leaves, capers or gherkins, strawberry, salt and pepper and olive oil. Mix it and place on top of thinly sliced beetroot. Add crumbled goat cheese on top of the plated leaves salad. Serve cold. Pair with any bread. Loaded with nutrition Low in calories, the salad also delivers the health benefit of beetroots which has shown to increase blood flow to the brain, keeping your concentration levels up and running all the time.