Hello again
I’m not going to lie, I ate a lot of toast last week. A combination of a busy work week, a two-day migraine hangover and an absent enthusiasm for food meant that toast triumphed on a few days. Toast standing in the kitchen. Toast reading emails. Toast with beans. Toast with peanut butter. Toast with marmalade.
Do you ever have weeks like that?
Not wanting to cook and feeling completely uninspired has left a bit of a hole this week. Food plays such a central part in who I am, I hope I find it again.
“Inspiration exists, but it has to find you working.”
Pablo Picasso
But you’re not here to listen to me. You’re here for your weekly reminder to show your lunch break some love. I feel I’ve let the side down.
I did get my act together towards the end of the week with a healthy, hearty salad, so read on…
Make ahead…
Sweet potato & chickpea salad
with super spinach and creamy tahini
If you’re a regular reader, you might recognise this salad from # 42. This one is not exactly the same. It’s pared back and simplified (see note above), but still did the trick.
We ate it cold having made it two days prior. It would also be delicious served warm. That is one of the wonderful things about food, even when it’s the same it’s not. Any recipe or dish is always open to interpretation, so it can be the meal you need it to be at the time.
Ingredients:
Sweet potatoes
Tin of chickpeas
Cold-pressed rapeseed oil
Paprika
Salt & pepper
Spinach leaves
Tahini
Mixed seeds
To make:
Prepare the sweet potatoes, peeling or scrubbing them as you see fit. Then cube them and place them on a lined baking sheet.
Drizzle over some oil, and season with paprika, salt & pepper.
Put them in a preheated oven at 190c ish.
After 10 minutes, add the drained tin of chickpeas and toss through.
Return to the oven for another 25 minutes or until the potatoes are tender.
You could serve it straight away on a bed of spinach salad or allow it to cool, then store it in the fridge until you want to eat it.
Stir the tahini well before splodging a couple of spoonfuls over the salad and top with some mixed seeds for crunch.
Simple swaps:
See TWL # 42 for a slightly more elaborate alternative version.
Butternut squash would be a solid understudy for the sweet potato.
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