Hello again. Welcome to this week’s issue of TWL.
Before we get into it, I just want to say a quick ‘thank you’ to everyone who has shared the lunchtime love over the last week. Your shares, comments and messages have been really encouraging.💕
As you may have guessed, these lunches that I’m sharing each week are the ones I ate the week before. If I follow a recipe to the t, I’ll share a link. But mostly they’ll be rustle-ups using readily available items, leftovers, or ideas that are easy to change up or swap out depending on what you have.
Have you been making time for lunch?
The emails can wait. Step away from the desk.
This week, we have a make-ahead purely-plant soup, some lovely leftovers, a sublime sandwich and a luxe take on cheese on toast. None of them will take too long to make, so you can get back to work quick smart or even squeeze in a lunchtime walk.
And if you’re interested in what I ate on the fifth day last week, I reheated a bowl of Thai red curry that my daughter made in food tech 😋.
Make ahead…
Sweet potato, coconut and chilli soup
A little bit of extra time in the kitchen on Sunday means that your Monday self will thank you when all you have to do is quickly reheat it.
In the spirit of using what you have, I had one ridiculously large sweet potato and a tiny one hanging round in the fridge and soup is always a good idea.
Here’s how I made this sweet potato soup:
Peel and chop the sweet potato.
Gently fry 1 small onion and 1 clove of garlic in a little oil in a large saucepan.
To that, add the cubed sweet potato, 1 small roughly chopped green chilli, some frozen coriander (a good way to use up the stalky bits), a tin of coconut milk, 1 veg stock cube.
A little extra water to generously cover the vegetables.
Cook until the sweet potato is tender (roughly 20 mins).
Then blitz with a stick blender.
Cool. Stick it in the fridge. Reheat when ready.
Just a sandwich…
Houmous with roasted pepper on focaccia
We always seem to have a tub of houmous in. I think it makes a great sandwich filling. You just need some bread that’s sturdy enough to take it, otherwise, it can feel a bit sad and soggy.
I’ve used red pepper houmous, a really generous layer of it, roasted red peppers and mixed leaf salad — spinach, watercress and rocket, on top of focaccia.
Get ahead: Roast the peppers the day before if you have the oven on for something else.
Simple swaps: Use chargrilled peppers from a jar if you can’t be bothered to roast them. Ciabatta, multigrain or sourdough bread would be 👌🏻if you don’t fancy focaccia.
Love your leftovers…
Bubble & Squeak
I think you’re either a lover of leftovers or you’re not. I definitely am. So I was feeling quite smug about this one when I foraged some of the Christmas leftovers from the freezer to defrost—a mix of Brussell sprouts, chestnuts and bacon, carrots and parsnips—and mixed them with some mash from a midweek dinner to rustle up Bubble & Squeak.
Simply mix the leftover veg together, then fry it to reheat. Make sure there are some lovely crispy bits — those are the best bits.
I’ve gone with a poached egg and some brown sauce to serve.
Anything goes: This can really be made using any leftover veg as long as you have some potato to hold it together.
Something on toast…
Welsh Rarebit
Welsh Rarebit is basically next-level cheese on toast.
A mix of grated cheese, egg, English mustard and Worcestershire sauce is spread on top of toasted bread, or in this case English muffins, then grilled until it’s bubbling melted cheese goodness.
Maybe it should be English rarebit on account of the muffins and mustard!?
My husband rustled this up for lunch on Tuesday. When I asked him for the ingredients and method, he simply said “This cook works by eye” — helpful. If you need an actual recipe, try this one here. I’m pretty sure ours didn’t have beer in!
Why only four meals?
I know, most people work 5 days a week, but it’s nice to wing it one day a week—use up some leftovers, meet a friend for lunch, support your local coffee shop…
See you next week, lunch buddies!