The Working Lunch #32
Roasted carrot houmous to make ahead and a classic omelette to rustle up — it’s your weekly reminder to show your lunch break some love.
Hello again,
I don’t know if it’s the relentless heat, the summer holidays, or both, but last week felt a bit of a muddle. As a result, I’ve only managed two new lunches.
In my defence, I made so much houmous that we had it for two days (which is actually a really good WFH lunch move, if you think about it). And I took most of Wednesday off work to go shopping with my daughter…so we had lunch out.
By the time it was Friday, the salad I planned turned into an omelette. With some cheese hardening round the edges, ham needing using up and 7 chestnut mushrooms withering in the fridge, a ham, cheese and mushroom omelette was the only obvious choice for lunch.
But there you go. Use what you have. Use it before you lose it to cut down on food waste. Make in batches to save time. And remember to take a lunch break.
Make ahead…
Roasted carrot houmous
Houmous is a staple round here, but for some reason, I’ve never really taken to making my own. I tell myself it’s something I’ll do when I finally get around to buying a food processor. But actually, if you think about it, a stick blender, Nutri-Ninja thingy or even a pestle & mortar do just the job.
So I tackled this recipe (Riverford Carrot Hummus) using a stick blender. It’s a bit chunky in places, but I quite like that, and I roasted the carrots rather than boiling them first, as I had the oven on for something else and it intensifies the flavour.
You could add the aquafaba (the liquid from the chickpeas) to thin it down if you wanted a smoother dip.
For even more carrot goodness, I’ve got some on the side to dip! And some hot toasted pitta to scoop.
Rustle up…
Classic omelette
Nutritious, quick and inexpensive, this could be served simply plain or with any combination of the mushrooms, cheese and ham. Omelettes are a good way to use up bits of different cheeses or bacon or even chorizo. Adding fresh soft herbs, instead of a filling, such as parsley or chives is another simple flavour lift if you want it lighter.
For one omelette:
3 eggs, whisked
30g grated cheddar
2 slices of smoked ham
3 mushrooms, sliced
Sunflower oil
Butter
Salt & pepper
Fry off the mushrooms first. Put to one side.
Heat the oil and add a little butter for flavour.
Whisk the eggs and season — you need to add salt at this point to break down the egg so they mix up properly.
Pour the egg mixture into the frying pan, on a medium heat. I personally prefer a slightly slower cook for a classic omelette, so you can ripple the edges, and get lovely soft ribbons of egg as it starts to set. Add the fillings before it completely sets through, and fold over.
This might have been an exercise in using up ingredients, but the salty smoked ham and strong cheddar cheese mixed with the soft eggs were an absolute treat.
From the archives…
Rustle up…Houmous Bowls
Use up the rest of the roasted carrot houmous in a beautful bowl of goodness by adding in some veggies, salad, sprouting lentils and whatever else takes your fancy.
Something on toast…Pan-fried mushrooms
Mushrooms, fresh herbs, a little oil or butter and some toast — and that’s it.
If you’re not feeling the lunchtime love with this week’s selection, don’t forget that you can tuck into the archives at any time.
Why only four meals?
I know, most people work 5 days a week. I do too. But it’s nice to wing it one day a week. I went out for lunch with my daughter and had a chickpea burger at Nando’s.
See you next week, lunch buddies.
I’m always looking to shake up my hummus recipe and this is exactly what’s needed! Plus, mushrooms on toast are such a staple in my household!