Lunch Time

Lunch has become a very important part of my day as of late. It takes a little time to prepare and it has to be ready by 12:30 or I wont be in the best of moods. So usually around 11:45 I am thinking about lunch. For me lunch is always a salad and something else. Here are some lunches that I have been enjoying.

Lunch # 1 - Salad with a mushroom kale panini.

To make this delicious sandwich, saute the kale and mushrooms in water. Drain the water and stir in a couple spoonfuls of Daiya Mozzarella style cheese. Let the cheese melt a bit in the saute pan and mix in a bit of seasoning (I took a picture of the seasoning I used so you could get an idea of the spices used). Spread some earth balance on two slices of sprouted grain bread and then place the mushroom kale filling between the slices and grill in a George Foreman grill or in a skillet.

Here is the spice blend I used, but really any savory spices would pair nicely with this sandwich.

Lunch #2- Eggplant bacon lettuce and tomato sandwich with a chickpea salad and greens.

Toast the bread, spread on some veganaise, top with lettuce, tomato, and eggplant bacon. To make the eggplant bacon, slice fresh eggplant thinly or with a mandolin, marinate the slices in olive oil, apple cider vinegar, red pepper flakes, and some maple syrup, then dehydrate until crisp. You could probably make the "bacon" in the oven as well, but I haven't experimented with that yet.

Lunch # 3- Salad and mashed turnips.

This is my new favorite salad - arugula and cucumbers with a creamy balsamic dressing, topped with eggplant bacon crumbles and pumpkin seeds. To make the dressing, stir together some veganaise, balsamic vinegar, and a tiny splash of water.

We have been getting turnips with our CSA for a couple weeks and this has been my preferred way to eat them. Boil until soft, mash them up, and top with a little earth balance, salt, and pepper.

Lunch #4- Salad and spaghetti squash and swiss chard.

For this dish, cook the spaghetti squash in the oven (takes about an hour at 350 degrees F) and mix the cooked squash noodles with some sauteed swiss chard. Stir in some Earth Balance or olive oil and top with salt, pepper, and nutritional yeast.

Perhaps this post will give you some good lunch ideas, or perhaps you will just think I eat crazy stuff. Regardless, I enjoyed all of these lunches immensely!