I really struggle with lunches too - we seem to have cheese sandwiches far too often, but if I’m more organised, and for inspiration, some other lunch ideas:
houmous with rice cakes, breadsticks, pitta strips, veggies etc
wholemeal roll with houmous, chopped red pepper and spinach - yummy!
crusty bread spread with kidney beans mashed with boursin cheese
soup of some kind (favourites are lentil, roast tomato, leek & potato, minestrone, vegetable broth) - in the winter usually with some homemade bread or wholemeal cheese & herb muffins
pitta pizzas
spinach & red lentil cakes
mini pasties (filled with carrot & kidney bean mixture)
couscous with chickpeas, red onion and cucumber
Greek salad
Ploughman’s salad
Spanish omlette
bean salad with almonds
bubble & squeak!
quesadillas (tortillas sandwiches with baked beans, grated cheese, onion, chopped peppers and sweetcorn then toasted - very messy but yummy!)
sweetcorn “pancakes” with grilled tomatoes & salad
pitta with houmous & salad, or grilled halloumi & minty couscous
carrot & walnut or cheese & apple muffins - great for picnic lunches!
rice cakes with tomato & avocado
rice cakes with almond butter and veggie sticks for lazy days when I’ve ran out of ideas!
a really “bad” one but delicious is a toastie made with peanut butter and chunks of dark chocolate!!
I really struggle with lunches too - we seem to have cheese sandwiches far too often, but if I’m more organised, and for inspiration, some other lunch ideas:
spinach & red lentil cakes
mini pasties (filled with carrot & kidney bean mixture)
HTH!
Can you share the recipes you use for spinach and red lentil cakes, and mini pasties please, they sound yum!
For tea I’ve just made a spinach and orange salad, with egg mint cous cous, would be just as good for lunch!
and the rhubarb muffins from another thread are just cooking
I really struggle with lunches too - we seem to have cheese sandwiches far too often, but if I’m more organised, and for inspiration, some other lunch ideas:
spinach & red lentil cakes
mini pasties (filled with carrot & kidney bean mixture)
HTH!
Can you share the recipes you use for spinach and red lentil cakes, and mini pasties please, they sound yum!
For tea I’ve just made a spinach and orange salad, with egg mint cous cous, would be just as good for lunch!
and the rhubarb muffins from another thread are just cooking
becky
Sure! The spinach & red lentil cakes came from an Able & Cole newsletter a few years ago I think:
50g red lentils, rinsed
1/2 medium-sized butternut squash, peeled and diced
400ml vegetable stock
1/2 tsp cumin seeds, toasted and finely crushed in a pestle and mortar
a pinch of ground cinnamon
2 handfuls fresh, thoroughly washed (preferably baby leaf) spinach
1 medium egg, whisked (this is to help you coat the cakes)
150-200g rolled oats, finely ground in a food processor to a flour-like (but slightly rougher) consistency (I just buy oatmeal for this!)
4 tbsp olive or rapeseed oil
Freshly ground black pepper
To serve:
150ml natural yogurt
1/2 tsp extra virgin olive oil
A pinch of cumin seeds, toasted and ground in a pestle and mortar
1 lemon
1 largish, ripe mango
Put the lentils and butternut squash in a saucepan with the stock. Bring to the boil, cover and then lower the heat and simmer gently for 40 minutes or until the lentils are soft (I find it takes a lot less than 40min for this, and check the stock level that the mix doesn’t dry up!). Puree in a food processor until fairly smooth (or just mash!). Season with the cumin, cinnamon and some freshly ground black pepper. Then, finely chop the spinach and carefully fold it through while the puree is still a bit warm. Allow to cool to room temperature, then refrigerate for 30minutes-1hour (or overnight). You can also make this up to this stage and freeze it. The chilling stage helps the lentils firm up enough to shape them in to little patties. Once firm, scoop the lentils 1 tbsp (a little more, if you like) a time and shape into flattened falafel-like patties (a bit like mini fishcakes). Roll the little cakes in the oats and then dip in the egg, coat and give each cake one more coating of oats. If you have time, pop the cakes in the fridge for half an hour before cooking them (the cold makes them crisp up a little better). Heat the oil in a large frying pan and cook the cakes in batches until golden on each side - about 3 minutes on each side. Make a little dipping sauce by folding the olive oil, cumin seeds and a good squeeze of lemon juice through the natural yogurt. Slice the mango into little slivers, place in a bowl or a little tupperware dish if taking on a picnic. Squeeze a good amount of lemon juice over the warm lentil cakes and serve warm or at room temperature with the yogurt dip and fresh mango.
If butternut squash isn’t available then you could use potato, sweet potato or carrots instead!
The mini pasties was a recipe from Green Parent magazine!
To make the filling:
About 2 potatoes, chopped into small pieces
1 small onion, finely chopped
a couple of carrots, finely diced (the recipe calls for swede, but I prefer carrot!)
cook these in a small amount (a few tablespoons) of veg stock (I like Marigold bouillon) until soft.
Once cooked, mix with a small tin of kidney beans and add lots of black pepper to taste (some ground cumin also works well with the kidney beans & carrot)
To make the pastry:
grate 120g margarine into 225g flour, rub into “breadcrumbs” then add a little cold water (about 150ml) to form a dough. Roll out on a floured surface until about 1cm thick. Cut into 4 rounds about the size of a small plate.
Add a few spoonfuls of the filling to each pastry round, fold over and seal the edges pressing with a fork. Prick the pasties with a fork to let the steam out, brush with milk and cook in the oven Gas Mark 5 / 190C for approx 45 mins.
I really struggle with lunches too - we seem to have cheese sandwiches far too often, but if I’m more organised, and for inspiration, some other lunch ideas:
spinach & red lentil cakes
mini pasties (filled with carrot & kidney bean mixture)
HTH!
Can you share the recipes you use for spinach and red lentil cakes, and mini pasties please, they sound yum!
For tea I’ve just made a spinach and orange salad, with egg mint cous cous, would be just as good for lunch!
and the rhubarb muffins from another thread are just cooking
becky
Sure! The spinach & red lentil cakes came from an Able & Cole newsletter a few years ago I think:
50g red lentils, rinsed
1/2 medium-sized butternut squash, peeled and diced
400ml vegetable stock
1/2 tsp cumin seeds, toasted and finely crushed in a pestle and mortar
a pinch of ground cinnamon
2 handfuls fresh, thoroughly washed (preferably baby leaf) spinach
1 medium egg, whisked (this is to help you coat the cakes)
150-200g rolled oats, finely ground in a food processor to a flour-like (but slightly rougher) consistency (I just buy oatmeal for this!)
4 tbsp olive or rapeseed oil
Freshly ground black pepper
To serve:
150ml natural yogurt
1/2 tsp extra virgin olive oil
A pinch of cumin seeds, toasted and ground in a pestle and mortar
1 lemon
1 largish, ripe mango
Put the lentils and butternut squash in a saucepan with the stock. Bring to the boil, cover and then lower the heat and simmer gently for 40 minutes or until the lentils are soft (I find it takes a lot less than 40min for this, and check the stock level that the mix doesn’t dry up!). Puree in a food processor until fairly smooth (or just mash!). Season with the cumin, cinnamon and some freshly ground black pepper. Then, finely chop the spinach and carefully fold it through while the puree is still a bit warm. Allow to cool to room temperature, then refrigerate for 30minutes-1hour (or overnight). You can also make this up to this stage and freeze it. The chilling stage helps the lentils firm up enough to shape them in to little patties. Once firm, scoop the lentils 1 tbsp (a little more, if you like) a time and shape into flattened falafel-like patties (a bit like mini fishcakes). Roll the little cakes in the oats and then dip in the egg, coat and give each cake one more coating of oats. If you have time, pop the cakes in the fridge for half an hour before cooking them (the cold makes them crisp up a little better). Heat the oil in a large frying pan and cook the cakes in batches until golden on each side - about 3 minutes on each side. Make a little dipping sauce by folding the olive oil, cumin seeds and a good squeeze of lemon juice through the natural yogurt. Slice the mango into little slivers, place in a bowl or a little tupperware dish if taking on a picnic. Squeeze a good amount of lemon juice over the warm lentil cakes and serve warm or at room temperature with the yogurt dip and fresh mango.
If butternut squash isn’t available then you could use potato, sweet potato or carrots instead!
The mini pasties was a recipe from Green Parent magazine!
To make the filling:
About 2 potatoes, chopped into small pieces
1 small onion, finely chopped a couple of carrots, finely diced (the recipe calls for swede, but I prefer carrot!)
cook these in a small amount (a few tablespoons) of veg stock (I like Marigold bouillon) until soft.
Once cooked, mix with a small tin of kidney beans and add lots of black pepper to taste (some ground cumin also works well with the kidney beans & carrot)
To make the pastry:
grate 120g margarine into 225g flour, rub into “breadcrumbs” then add a little cold water (about 150ml) to form a dough. Roll out on a floured surface until about 1cm thick. Cut into 4 rounds about the size of a small plate.
Add a few spoonfuls of the filling to each pastry round, fold over and seal the edges pressing with a fork. Prick the pasties with a fork to let the steam out, brush with milk and cook in the oven Gas Mark 5 / 190C for approx 45 mins.
HTH!
Nooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!! Pasties NEVER should have carrots in them!!! Always swede! (Unless you’re being really cornish where you’d actually call it a turnip. Confused me no end when my MIL would refer to swede as a turnip!!)
just had: green salad, with: sweated leeks with red and yellow pepper, cumin, corriander, lots of garlic and then raw red onion and some forked up red salmon. Then some blueberries and then some raw chocolate.
