All Photos © Christine Elise McCarthy 2014
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All my posts now have a VERY customizable PRINT & PDF option. Create a PDF & save the recipe to your computer or print it out. It offers a “remove images” option & you can delete any part of the post you do not need before printing. The button is below by the Twitter & Facebook links.
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So – I have joined the ranks of the masses & accepted a full-time job. I am story assisting on an Esquire TV show called – appropriately enough – “Best Bars in America.” The job is challenging but fun & the hours are long. The long hours have really cut into my indulging in cooking & lunches, in particular, have been a challenge. I want something that is good at room temperature (because there is no oven & I loathe microwaves) and it can’t be something stinky, like curry or egg salad, lest I gross out my peers. I want it to be relatively healthy & light (so I don’t get sleepy) and I want it to be satisfying.
Initially, I bought expensive pre-made things – like quinoa or kale salads. That got $$ and boring really fast. My vegan chicken salads have worked nicely – wrapped in lettuce, but you can’t eat that 5 days a week. So – one morning – with 30 minutes to go before work – I whipped this up from just what I had around.
Like most of my recipes – it is infinitely customizable.
You can add anything in this bad boy. I will list what I used in just a moment but the real secret to this salad is the dressing. I just used a Newman’s Own Italian once & a Ken’s Steakhouse Caesar another – but you can make your own or use a different dressing each time. I made a TON of this stuff & the real secrets are two-fold:
1) Do not add the tomatoes until the day you are going to eat it because tomatoes really do not do well in the fridge and
2) do not dress it until JUST before you eat it.
So – I would bring a little container of this to work each say & bring a little dressing in a plastic bottle & dress it just before I ate it. I ate it 4 days in a row. Here are the ingredients I used:
INGREDIENTS
The bulk of a package of orzo – cooked as directed (but any pasta – shells, penne, butterflies, whatever – will do) and drained & rinsed
Cherry tomatoes – halved
Garbanzo beans
Sliced radishes
Sliced black olives
Chopped cucumber
Chopped red cabbage
Diced basil
Chopped mint
Salad dressing (I used Newman’s Own Lite Italian & Ken’s Caesar alternately but you can use any you prefer – or MAKE yourself)
And I just tossed various portions or each ingredient together & stored it in the fridge (sans tomatoes – that is – because, as I said, tomatoes get yucky in the fridge).
Other things you might add:
Avocado (but not until just before you eat it)
Arugula
Cilantro
Chopped kale
Feta (or other) cheese
Diced carrots
Diced celery
Diced red onion
Sliced mushrooms
Raisins (or other dried fruit)
Nuts
Anything, really. Even vegan (or real) chicken or some cooked shrimp.
See? EASY!
Delightful-Delicious-Delovely 