Lunch. It can be a bit of a rut, can’t it? Default to bread with some kind of spread. So boring, so uninspiring. Not something to look forward to. And it’s a lot easier to eat that roll or slice of bread in front of the computer, amiright?
Lately, I’ve been trying to make an effort to have a proper lunch break and have some more inspiring food. Which I eat while watching West Wing. CJ Cregg forever!
Here are a few things that have been on my lunch time plate recently.
Bruschetta. Toasted slices of bread rubbed with a clove of garlic. Then lightly drizzled with some nice olive oil. Chopped tomatoes with basil on top. Nice and simple.
By the way, bruschetta is pronounced ‘brusketta’. ‘Ch’ before e and i is a ‘k’ sound in Italian. :-)
Staying with an Italian theme: Spaghetti aglio, olio e peperoncini. Oh man, this dish may not look like much but it is sooo good! While the spaghetti cooks, peel 2-3 cloves of garlic, cut the ends of 1-2 fresh chilis. Fry the garlic and chili whole in olive oil (about 2-3 table spoons) at medium temperature, you don’t want them to burn. Turn them over so you don’t just fry on one side.
Before draining the pasta, put aside about 100 ml (1/2 cup) of the water. Drain the pasta and then add to the pan with the garlic and chili. Stir for 30 seconds, then add the water you put aside. Stir well and then let the water reduce. You can add (vegan) cheese* as you cook it and/or sprinkle it on top afterwards.
Throw away the garlic and chili before eating. Buon appetito!
*I really like Grattugiato.
Pan fried slices of polenta with leftover chili. As easy at it sounds. Cut some slices of polenta, fry in a bit of oil. Put on a plate with kitchen roll to absorb some of the oil. Plate up and top with that leftiver chili that’s not enough for a dinner but too much to just throw away. ;-)
More polenta and more leftovers! Polenta cut into chunks (approx. 1/2″ – 1.3cm) and lightly covered in oil with whatever spices and herbs you fancy. Green pepper cut in half, stems removed, then stuffed with leftover rice and chili.
Bake both in the oven for about 30 minutes at 200°C (390°F). Again let the polenta rest on kitchen roll for a minute to remove some of the oil. Serve with a dollop of plain yogurt or sour cream.
Ok, this is more of a breakfast thing, but if you fancy pancakes for lunch, I say go for it!
These pancakes are a bit different, though. I replaced half the flour with chickpea flour (sometimes called gram or besan). It doesn’t really make any difference to taste, but makes the pancakes a wee bit healthier. You can replace all the flour with gram flour to make the pancakes gluten free.
Sweet or savory topping. I love them with the chocolate and hazelnut spread from Chocoreale. In my humble opinion it is way better than Nutella. And it’s vegan. :-)
Right, that’s it, I hope you try some of these – or experiment with the leftovers in your fridge! :-)
PS: Links in this post are not sponsored or affiliated with anything. I just happen to buy those things from that shop (regularly, ahem) so I had the link handy.
