Weekday Office Lunch Ideas

Wrap with poached chicken, lemon, walnut and tarragon yoghurt mayoPearl barley and puy lentil salad with sweet potato & roasted baby tomatoes, spicy mustard vinaigrette dressingBBQ chicken, spinach and pasta fritattaAll images © Katie Quinn Davies 2012A few months ago I came up with and idea for a food shoot for Real Living. It was based around quick and easy lunches which you can make and take to work with you, saving time and stress, money etc. I thought it would be nice to run with a Mad Men styled/inspired shoot, Sarah who is the Senior stylist at Real Living loved the idea so we worked on it together to produce some fun shots. I provided 5 or 6 recipes which featured in the mag a month or so ago. Seeing as its a Sunday and the working week is about to start again for most, I thought it was a fitting idea to upload these recipes and maybe you can give them a bash. Im including three directly here in WKA. All other recipes can be found here at the RL site. Wholemeal wrap with poached chicken, lemon, walnut and tarragon yoghurt mayoA great, healthy way to cook chicken with minimal effort or time. The chicken in turn pairs great with the lemon and tarragon. The yoghurt adds a zesty zing and the crunchy toasted walnuts are great for adding extra texture. Bringing the filling to work in a jar or Tupperware container avoids the dreaded soggy lunchtime sandwich.INGREDIENTSHandful walnuts1 free-range chicken breast, cut into 3 long strips8-10 whole black peppercorns2 small lemons1 stick celery, very finely slicedSmall bunch fresh tarragon leaves, roughly chopped½ cup Greek style, runny natural yoghurt2 tablespoons light mayonnaiseSalt & freshly ground black pepper1-2 wholemeal wraps or 2-4 slices wholemeal/multigrain breadMETHODPreheat oven to 180˚C (350˚F).Scatter walnuts on a baking sheet and toast in the pre-heated oven for 10-12 minutes, remove, cool and roughly chop.Half-fill a medium-sized saucepan with cold water. Season with a little salt and add in the whole black peppercorns along with the zest and juice of one lemon. Bring to the boil over high heat for 5 minutes to infuse flavours, and then add the chicken strips. Turn heat down to low, cover saucepan with lid and poach chicken for 10-12 minutes or until cooked through. Turn off heat. Remove chicken from pot and slice into bite-sized small chunks.In a medium-sized bowl add the toasted walnuts; celery; chopped tarragon leaves; yoghurt; mayonnaise; zest and juice of remaining lemon and season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Add the chicken and coat thoroughly.Place into an airtight container or jar and chill in the fridge over-night or until required.Bring container to work, chill until lunchtime and serve in a wholemeal wrap or multi-grain breadServes 1-2Prep. Time: 30 minsPearl barley and puy lentil salad with sweet potato, broccoli & roasted baby tomatoes, spicy mustard vinaigrette dressing This salad is a great low GI lunch option as it includes pearl barley; sweet potato and lentils, ensuring the afternoon munchies stay at bay. There’s no need either for fiddly bottles of dressing to be brought with you into the office as it can be dressed the night before and still tastes great the following day.INGREDIENTS½ cup pearl barley½ cup puy (French) lentils1 small lemon3-4 small fingerling sweet potatoes, scrubbed, skins on, sliced into thin slices (approx. 1cm)Small head broccoli, head cut into small floretsHandful baby vine or punnet cherry tomatoes1 tablespoon wholegrain mustard1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar½ teaspoon ground cumin1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil (EVVO)Olive oil for roastingSalt & freshly ground black pepperMETHODPreheat oven to 180˚C (350˚F).Place baby potato slices onto one half of a non-stick baking tray, place cherry tomatoes onto the other half, and drizzle both with a little olive oil and season with salt and black pepper. Roast in the pre-heated oven for 20 minutes or until potatoes are soft in the middle when tested with a small sharp knife. Set aside.Place pearl barley in a small saucepan along with 1½ cup water and cook for 15-20 minutes or until all the water is absorbed and barley cooked ~ you’ll know when it’s cooked when the texture is soft but still a little nutty with it still has a little ‘bite’ to the barley.At the same time, repeat process in another saucepan with the lentils. Cooking as above or as per your packet’s instructions.Rinse both the barley and lentils in cold water and drain thoroughly before adding both into a large mixing bowl. Add a small glug of EVVO and squeeze over the juice of 1 small lemon. Season generously with freshly ground black pepper and add a pinch of salt.Using one of the same saucepans used to cook the barley/lentils, half fill with cold water, bring to the boil over high heat then add the broccoli florets. Cook over high heat for 2-3 minutes then drain and plunge into a bowl of iced water ~ this helps the broccoli to retain it’s bright green colour when cooked and cooled. After 2 or 3 minutes of cooling in the iced water, drain broccoli again and add to barley mixture along with the roasted tomatoes and sliced sweet potato,In a small bowl whisk together the mustard; vinegar; cumin and EVOO, pour over salad. Tossing well to coat everything evenly.Store in an airtight container in the fridge until required.Serves 1-2Prep. Time: 30 minsBBQ chicken, spinach and pasta frittata This is a lunch idea, which you can make the night before for dinner and keep a slice or two over to bring to lunch with you the following day - therefore covering both dinner and lunch in one go. It is great eaten either hot or cold. If you want to make it as a single serve, simply reduce the below ingredients to ¼ (using just 1 small cooked chicken breast).INGREDIENTS200g dried baby elbow pastaExtra virgin oil (EVOO)1 small-medium BBQ chicken, skin removed, fresh torn into bite-size strips or chunks1 small red & green capsicum seeds and talk removed, cut into bite-sized pieces5-6 scallions, thinly slices3 cloves garlic, peeled & minced200g baby spinachHandful basil leaves, finely chopped10 medium-sized eggs100g vintage cheddar cheese, grated – plus extra for topping30g Parmesan cheese, gratedPinch chilli flakesSalt & freshly ground black pepperLemon wedges for serving (optional)METHODHalf-fill a large pot with salted and oiled water, bring to a rolling boil over high heat, add the pasta and cook for 8 minutes until almost al dente. Drain and toss in 1 tablespoon EVOO. Allow pasta to cool, then add into a large mixing bowl, along with the chicken; capsicums; scallions; garlic and basil, stirring to combine.Add ½ cup water to a small saucepan, bring to the boil over high heat, add the spinach an cook over medium/high heat for 1-2 minutes or until just wilted, drain and squeeze out excess water then chop finely. Add to the above pasta ingredients.Crack the eggs into a measuring jug, whisk together then add the two grated cheeses; chilli flakes and a good seasoning of salt and freshly ground black pepper. Stir together then pour into the pasta mixture, coating everything together thoroughly.Tip the contents of the bowl into a large, deep frying pan ~ note: you will need to use one which you can place under a hot grill, so be mindful of plastic handles etc.Fry over a low to medium heat for 10-15 minute or until the egg is just set. Remove the frittata from the heat, sprinkle the top with a good handful of extra grated vintage cheddar then place under a hot grill until the top is golden and bubbling.Serve hot or cold, with a wedge of lemon (latter optional).Serves 4-6Prep. Time: 30 mins