The Working Lunch #38
Carrot & coconut soup, pesto grain bowls, and Vietnamese pizza — it’s your weekly reminder to show your lunch break some love.
Hello,
How’s your week ahead looking?
Are you a planner or a take-it-as-it-comes person when it comes to scheduling your working day?
I tend to have a rough plan every week, with some wriggle room for the unexpected. Lunch is non-negotiable, though. Usually at 12. I know, early innit.
This week, we’ve got one make-ahead soup—so that’s one or two lunches planned and organised.
The other two are quick rustle-up lunches. Perfect when you’re pushed for time and can’t tear yourself away from the computer for too long.
Even a very short break is better than none. And if you do a completely different activity in that time — like making lunch — that you fully engage with, it’ll feel even more of a break. ♥️
Make ahead…
Carrot & coconut soup with a little kick
This warmly-spiced carrot soup uses a handful of carrots, an onion, some garlic, some spices, and a tin of coconut milk. It would easily adapt to butternut squash or sweet potato.
Serves 3-4:
7 or so medium to large carrots, peeled and diced
1 onion, peeled and diced
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 tsp of garam masala
1/2 tsp each of ground spices — cumin, ginger and chilli
Tin of full-fat coconut milk
Fresh green chilli (optional)
Oil
Salt & pepper
Fresh coriander (optional)
Bread of your choice to serve
Sweat off the onions and garlic, then add the chilli and spices, and the chopped, peeled carrots.
Cover with enough water to gently simmer, before adding a tin of coconut milk.
Continue cooking until the carrots are tender.
Then blend, adding more water to loosen, if needed.
Simple swaps: For the spices, take it anywhere you want down the warm spiced route. If you have some curry paste or a spice blend, that would work in place of the garam masala, ground chilli, ginger and cumin. Sweet potato, butternut or pumpkin would work in place of the carrots.
Rustle up…
Pesto grain bowls
Yes, the Good Grains are back again for a quick, hot lunch. This time, it’s the pesto grains.
Quinoa and wheat berries infused with basil form the bulk of the bowl, but the highlight is the light and fresh veggies lifted with extra fresh herbs and lemon juice.
I’ve gone for butternut squash (precooked), yellow pepper and spring onion, but you could mix this up with courgette, red pepper, or peas.
Pan fry the veggies in a little oil, then add the grains with some water (as per the pack's instruction). Fresh basil, parsley, and a bit of lemon juice nicely round it off.
Get ahead: Prep and/or precook any vegetables that need a longer cook.
Simple swaps: Any veg can go in. Cooked halloumi, salmon or chicken on top if you want more protein.
Rustle up…
Vietnamese pizza
If you like your food speedy and spicy, then this one’s a doozy.
And if like me you have half a pack of rice paper wrappers tucked in your cupboard from making summer rolls back in the summer, then this is a nice dish to use some of them up in the autumn.
I saw this on Instagram and just had to try it — thought it would make a great working lunch.
Place a rice paper sheet in a non-stick pan. Top with crispy chilli oil. Crack on an egg and scramble quickly to coat the paper. Then add spring onions (and whatever else you want) plus sriracha and mayo.
It’s cooked when the egg’s set through, and the rice paper is crisp (and no longer resembling a plastic disc).
Oh my! I ate two and had to clear everything away before I made more. 😳
Head over to this Reel for the whole recipe for Vietnamese pizza.
Why only four three meals?
Erm, so there are only 3 lunches again this week. I might have made the Vietnamese pizza again on Friday! Did I mention how much I liked them?
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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.
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