When balance throws you off

Lunch: Smoked tofu & aubergine Buddha bowl

We made it. I’m not just talking about making it through to lunch (nearly there), we hit BST over the weekend here in the UK.

This short shunt of time, for me, offers so much potential. I breathe a big sigh of relief. I feel I can do so much more.

It might seem small, but just this shift in light unlocking a post-dinner dog walk is so significant. Not only does it take the pressure off the working part of my day, as I’m not fitting a walk into a lunch break, but I’d much rather move after my evening meal and be outside as the day starts to come to a close.

I’ve written about the seasonal shift before and how that impacts my work-from-home day. We are out the other side. We shift again.

For me now, that’ll usually mean a shorter lunch break and less working in the evenings.

The ever-evolving pursuit of balance.

Make-ahead

Smoked tofu & aubergine Buddha bowl with peanut dressing

A brightly coloured well-balanced bowl

I could dress up the description of this dish. On paper, it looks delicious, and why shoudn’t it be? It’s a brightly coloured, well-balanced bowl. But I need to level with you, it’s not that great. In the words of Crocodile Dundee, “well, you know, you can live on it, but it tastes like shit.” It’s not the last meal I’m going to eat. It’s only lunch.

The element that lets it down is the quinoa. Eating pre-cooked cold quinoa is like eating cat litter. No amount of the peanut sauce would save it.

So, why have I still put this lunch in the newsletter?

Because I like the concept of a Buddha bowl — a little bit of a few things collected in a bowl to create a balanced meal. You can get ahead and prep or precook different elements, so filling your bowl is minimal effort when it’s time for lunch.

This one is a work in progress. I hope if you make your own, yours will be much better.

Ingredients:

• Cooked ahead and served cold: cubes of roasted aubergine, baked smoked tofu, roasted peppers.

• Pack of pre-cooked red & white quionoa

• Sliced red cabbage

• Spring onions

• Spinach

• Dressing made from crunchy peanut butter mixed with lemon juice, minced garlic, miso and some water to thin it down.

  

Not feeling the love with this week’s lunch?

How about miso squash & kale bowl, tuna & soy poke bowls or halloumi, grain & veg bowl?

P.S. ICYMI here’s last week’s post.

The leftover potato appreciation society