two quick/easy/healthy lunches

whether you bring your lunch to work or eat lunch at home or school, making it is one of those hassle-y things that you either sigh and do or sigh and don't do and then you end up buying a sub-par sandwich from the little shop on the ground floor of your office building.

wait, i guess that's only related to the bringing-your-lunch-to-work thing. and it's really only related to my work, because probably not everyone is lucky enough to work in office buildings containing shops with mediocre sandwiches on the ground floor.

anyway, i've never been that into making lunches. but i try to do it, because on tuesdays and thursdays i have to be Out and About for like 13 hours so if i don't make one i get into the whole sandwich shop malarkey and am mad at myself later.

two lunches that have been treating me right lately are a beans/kale/tomato melange and a vaguely asian chicken and broccoli thing. both are super quick and quite tasty and they will power you through any number of meetings, memos, or research rabbit-holes you find yourself falling into.

kale is probably my favorite green. it's milder than other greens like mustard or chard and it has more texture and heft than boring old spinach (which also has the non-benefit of making my teeth feel weird - thanks oxalate, you jerk!).

anyway, for this you just need one bunch of kale (washed, stems removed, and chopped into vaguely bite-sized pieces - 1"-2" or so), some garlic and/or shallots or onion, a can of white beans, and a can of diced tomatoes. heat a teaspoon or so of oil in a large pan (medium heat), then add the garlic/shallot/onion. let these cook for a minute or so, then add the kale. stir it around a bit and let it go for another two minutes-ish, then add the tomatoes (with their juice) and the beans (drained and preferably rinsed, because that bean-juice in cans is so nastily viscous). then you are basically done. let it cook, stirring occasionally, for perhaps another 10 - 15 minutes or until the kale becomes texturally pleasing to you. that's it! maybe also add some salt. a little lemon juice or cider or balsamic vinegar is nice, too.

the great thing about this is that it's vegan and it has lots of protein and vitamins. you can also grate a little cheese on it if you're feeling frisky. we had some cotija cheese that went particularly well with it, but asiago or parmesan would also be nice. it's also good warm or at room temperature, so if you can't stand the thought of hanging in the breakroom with your homies, you can hunch over it in your cubicle while reading a magazine. your choice!

here are the ingredients of my lunch today. i roasted a chicken the other day, so we already had some cooked leftovers. if you don't have a roast chicken in your fridge, you could always get one of those rotisserie ones or use tofu or add the extra step of cooking up a chicken breast. but it's definitely quicker if you have chicken that's already cooked. obviously.

other than that you just need a stalk of broccoli, a couple of cloves of garlic, a shallot (or equivalent amount of onion, or just leave it out), and perhaps half a jalapeño or other pepper (this one was mild). you can also add whatever else you have around - scallions and/or cilantro would be nice, as would some peanuts or cashews. but lo! i had none of those.

this is actually kind of similar to the kale thing in that you cook the garlic and whatever (here, shallot and jalapeño) for a hot minute, then add the green stuff (broccoli!) and let it cook for a bit. once i put the broccoli in, i added a tablespoon or so of water and then covered the pan and let it steam-cook for about two or three minutes. basically from here on out it depends on how crunchy you want your broccoli to be. i think mine cooked for a total of 7 or 8 minutes. the timing also depends on how large your broccoli chunks are - the smaller they are, the faster they cook.

once it's just about done, add some soy sauce (to taste, but maybe 1-2 teaspoons) and a teaspoon or so of sesame oil. then add the chicken (if you're using tofu, you could add it soon after the broccoli or cook it separately so it gets sort of crunchy) just to let it get all melded with the other stuff. also, incidentally, i was eating this at home, so i wanted to get it heated through. yay for home-lunch!

when you're ready to eat, a dollop of chili-garlic sauce is a great addition, as is sriracha, if you haven't already used it all up in some terrible apocalypse drink.

if you're taking it to work, you'll probably want to keep it cold until you're ready to eat it because salmonella.

*ingredients for kale thing*

1-2 cloves garlic

1 shallot or 1/4 of an onion

1 small bunch kale

1 can white beans

1 can diced tomatoes

salt

balsamic or cider vinegar, optional

cheese, optional

*ingredients for chicken-broccoli thing*

2 cloves garlic

1 shallot or 1/4 of an onion

1/2 mild jalapeño or other chili or some red bell pepper

1 largish stalk broccoli

1/3 - 1/2 cup chopped, cooked chicken

soy sauce and sesame oil, to taste

chili-garlic sauce and/or sriracha, to taste

other good additions - sesame seeds, nuts, other vegetables

listening to: the clientele

broccoli casserole

broccoli casserole is The Dish in my family. it's the dish that's certain to be there at any holiday and which, strangely, we only make for holidays. i honestly can't figure out why that is, because it's easy and quick to toss together and isn't totally unhealthy and is immensely delicious. every year i'm like, why don't i make this all the time? and then i don't do it until the next holiday. maybe it's my subconscious trying to keep it extra-special.

i used to have to call my mom every thanksgiving to get the recipe for this. i have no clue where it originated, but i can't remember a thanksgiving or christmas without it. i've been making it for the last few years just based on remembered amounts and what looks right. my brother has now taken up the mantle of annual recipe-transcribing calls to my mom and my mom actually called me this year to ask a question about covering it or not.

i find it comforting to know that even though i wasn't able to be with my parents or my brother this thanksgiving, this casserole was being made and enjoyed in texas, oregon, and arizona. no doubt we will each be making it for christmas, too. it's nice to have traditions that are so good to eat.

first, preheat the oven to 375. then you need a whole mess of broccoli. i used 6 smallish stalks - i think it was about 6 cups or so. the wonderful thing about casseroles, though, is that you don't need totally exact amounts.

peel the tough outer parts from the stems, then slice them into ~1/4" pieces (you can cut the pieces in halves or quarters if the stems are thick). then cut the florets into bite-sized pieces.

these are most of the other illustrious ingredients. you need two eggs, 3/4 - 1 cup mayonnaise, 1/2 cup greek yogurt (or you can probably change the percentage of mayonnaise and yogurt - 1/2 and 1/2, etc. you just usually want about 1 1/2 cups combined), a can of condensed cream of celery soup (i know, i know. this is literally the only time i ever use canned soups. if you can find something that tastes just like campbell's cream of celery soup, you're welcome to use it instead. i'm sticking with tradition here), ~1/3 of a medium-large onion (minced), and about 8-10 ounces of extra sharp grated cheddar.

i think the extra sharpness of the cheddar is really important here, so don't chicken out and go with medium sharp or something. extra sharp or bust!

i like to mix everything up in a big bowl and add a lot of freshly-ground black pepper and a little bit of salt (the mayo, cheese, soup, etc. are pretty salty, so don't go overboard. i used less than a teaspoon). then add the broccoli pieces and mix it all around so that it gets fully coated. if it seems a little dry, add more mayonnaise and/or yogurt. it should basically be well-coated but not swimming. again, casseroles are pretty forgiving.

then put it in a casserole dish. this is a cast iron enamel-covered one, which i like because it has a cover and seems to heat things really evenly. and it is pretty. but you could also use a regular pan and cover it with aluminum foil.

the crispy topping is an area of contention in my family. okay, just with me. everyone else puts crumbled ritz crackers on top, and if that's your thing, go for it. i am just not a ritz cracker person (lime-vanilla icebox cake notwithstanding), so i usually use breadcrumbs or panko. i was out of panko this time, so i used 1 slice of sourdough and 1/2 slice of whole wheat bread, crumbled up with a tiny bit of olive oil and a little salt. my bread was pretty dry already, so i just put some oil and salt on my hands and kind of rubbed them over the bread to crumble it. you could also just whiz them up in a food processor or chop them or whatever. i don't need to tell you how to crumble bread.

then just stick it in the oven for awhile. i leave the lid on for the first 40 minutes or so, then take it off so the top browns nicely. it should take maybe a little over an hour in total, but it depends on how deep your pan is. just use a sharp knife to stick into a broccoli stem near the top and if it goes in easily, it should be about done. basically the cheese/soup/mayonnaise gets all custardy, so if there's still a little softness in the center, it's probably okay. you want to let it set up a little after you take it out of the oven - 10 minutes' rest should do it.

this is a really forgiving casserole, though, so just play with it. i cooked ours at our house, then reheated it for about 15 minutes when we were about to eat and it was fine. more than fine, actually. it was incredibly delicious, as usual, and i once again vowed to make it more often.

this thanksgiving, people outdid themselves with delicious things. we had: great appetizers (crackers, goat cheese, homemade jalapeno jelly, pickled cherries, roasted hazelnuts, pickled okra, bread & butter pickles), green bean casserole, broccoli casserole, sweet potatoes with an amazing streusel crust (much better than marshmallows), turkey, ham, mashed potatoes, gravy, cornbread dressing (aka stuffing, if you are not from the south), rolls, cranberry sauce, salad, a 6-tier chocolate caramel cake, Mike's Famous Pie, and pumpkin pie. it was sort of insane, since there were only like a dozen of us, but also it was sort of magical. and extremely tasty.

i love this thanksgiving potluck-with-friends tradition and it just gets better every year. thanks for hosting, clifton and shantelle! and thanks for giving me the recipe so many times over the years, mom!

*ingredients*

~6 cups chopped broccoli

1 1/2 cups mayonnaise/yogurt (usually ~1 cup mayonnaise to 1/2 cup yogurt, but it's up to you)

1 can condensed cream of celery soup

~1/3 of an onion, minced (~1/3 cup)

2 eggs

8-10 ounces shredded extra-sharp cheddar

salt and pepper

breadcrumbs (or ritz crackers) - enough to cover the casserole - i used 1 1/2 slices of bread

mix all the ingredients except the broccoli and the breadcrumbs. mix in the broccoli, stick it in a pan and top with breadcrumbs. simple!

broccoli & chickpea salad with lemon-tahini dressing

so just to get it out of the way early, this is barely a recipe. it's a simple chickpea and broccoli salad with a lemony tahini dressing. it's almost like if you deconstructed broccoli hummus and reconstructed it as a salad. except that i've never seen broccoli hummus (somebody get on that! and give me 50% of your profits!).

the thing is, i have to start working tomorrow. i know that many people work, like, every day and so i'm really not complaining. it's just hard to imagine after a long summer of working at an internship for just 10 hours a week. also, i'm going to have to Dress Up for this job and i've never had to do that in my life, so i'm a little apprehensive. but i'm sure it will be a good experience and i will learn a lot, blah blah blah.

my point is, this whole job thing will be full of firsts. aside from the need for office-appropriate attire, i will have to bring my lunch to work for the first time ever. i know that seems weird, but the other jobs i've had involved either working from home or (sweetly) included the serious perk of having lunch bought for us every day by my boss (of course, that was the same job at which i lacked health insurance, but still. getting lunch brought in from whatever restaurant we chose every day was pretty nice).

so in light of this change, i've been trying to think of good things to bring for lunch. this was sort of a test run, if you will. i wanted something portable and healthy and easy, because i'm bad about procrastinating and i know there will be times when it's 11 pm and i need to scramble to get something ready for the next day (no, unfortunately i can't make things in the morning. i can barely make coffee in the morning).

first i chopped a big head of broccoli into little bits. i use the stem as well as the florets because once you peel the tough outer skin off, it is delicious. i put it on a foil-covered pan and added about a teaspoon of olive oil, a biggish pinch of salt, some pepper and smoked paprika and mixed it around so it all got coated. then i roasted it in the toaster oven at 400 for about 15 minutes. you could do whatever you want to cook it, though - steam it, microwave it, sauté it, etc.

while that's happening, drain and rinse two cans of chickpeas. let them sit and dry out a little while you make the dressing. i used about 2 tablespoons (maybe a little less) of tahini, the juice from a whole lemon (this makes it quite lemony - feel free to use somewhat less, if you like), salt, pepper, and more smoked paprika to taste, about half a teaspoon of cumin and the same of sumac (you could definitely leave the sumac out if you don't happen to have any), and a small minced shallot.

then just add the broccoli and chickpeas and stir. if it's too thick for your liking (depends on how dry the chickpeas are), just add a little warm water until the dressing is the right consistency.

you could also add any number of other things to this - a little minced red onion, cut-up hard boiled egg, chicken, baked tofu, other vegetables (roasted cauliflower or brussels sprouts would be fantastic) - the possibilities are virtually endless. although i'm sad that summer is ending, i'm excited about fall's new opportunities and challenges and i'm looking forward to a season of simple work lunches like this one.

(also, it's probably obvious, but this makes a lot of salad. feel free to cut the recipe in half if you don't like eating the same lunch every day. i am boring, so i don't mind it).

*ingredients*

1 large head broccoli

1 teaspoon olive oil

salt

pepper

smoked paprika

2 tablespoons tahini

juice of one lemon

salt

pepper

smoked paprika

1/2 teaspoon cumin

1/2 teaspoon sumac (optional)

1 small minced shallot

2 cans chickpeas