A Salad to Sustain
The perfect midday meal to keep you awake for the second half of the day.
I recently caught up with my friend Julia over Sunday dinner. We wore sweats, slippers and cooked broccoli pasta together (recipe coming soon!)— the ideal casual hang. She has been actively posting her lunch prep, a welcome reminder of the importance of thinking ahead, and making a care package for yourself. We both agreed: preparing lunch is an act of self-care. Taking the time to slow down for a moment and prepare a simple meal that can sustain you in the midst of a busy day brings a sense of control that nourishes your mind and body.
In the case of my lunch, it needs to be wholesome, crunchy, full-o-veg, and it needs to wake me up rather than put me to sleep. I have eaten some version of this grain-legume-salad bowl midday on repeat for the last few years, adjusting for seasonal availability. It just hits every time.
The Base: Grains + Legumes. Any and all.
I almost always have cooked grains and legumes in the freezer. I often like to boil these off in the morning— I’ve found, anything I do for an hour post-first-sip of coffee is as if it never happened. Doing things that might otherwise feel like too much work happen by muscle memory and never even register in my consciousness. Once my coffee kicks in, I wake up and poof! I’ve got a leg-up on 2 weeks of lunches.
My cooked grain of choice is short grain brown rice that I boil by the bag just like pasta. Start to taste for an al dente bite around 20 minutes, a little less if the grains are particularly petite. Truly any and all grains will work here. French lentils, my go-to legume, I cook in the same way as the rice, and start checking for doneness around 15 minutes. Once cooked to your liking, drain, cool, and freeze in half quart containers, glass jars, ziplock bags, whatever you prefer. If grain-legume prep doesn’t fit into your schedule, most grocery stores sell a variety pre-cooked in the frozen section— stock up!
The Crunchies: Raw veg is best. Barely steamed, or leftover roasted in a pinch.
10 minutes before you want to eat lunch: Wash and slice your crunchy veg and heat your grain-legume base in the microwave— I love the combo of warm and cold. What you use here depends on what’s in your fridge + what’s in season. In chillier months thinly slice any mix of endive, fennel, radish, celery, chicories, or celeriac. In warmer months, sugar snap peas are lovely, as are french breakfast radishes, cucumbers, zucchini, asparagus, and baby lettuces— the options are truly endless. Grab what looks best at your local market or is still barely standing at the bottom of your crisper drawer and go from there. Thinly slice the hard stuff (celery, radishes, sugar snap peas) on a bias. Cut the softer stuff (tomatoes, plums, cucumber) into bite-sized wedges. Leave any lettuce leaves whole if small, torn or sliced if large. If you are bringing this on the go and won’t have access to a kitchen, pre-slice and be sure to put a small linen/paper towel in with your container so your veg stays fresh until lunch.
The Salad Sauce.
Most of the time I drizzle it all with a classic French vinaigrette because it’s a staple and I do my best to always have a jar in the fridge. When I have more time on my hands, I love to top with Jess Damuck’s Chili Crisp + a squeeze of lemon. Sometimes I’ll take a leftover sauce, add olive oil and some acid and turn it into a dressing: Eden Grinshpan’s Green Zhug from Eating Out Loud is a good one for this. If all else fails, olive oil and vinegar/lemon/lime will always be there for you.
Add-ons.
The creaminess of a perfectly ripe avocado is a nice textural addition. Be sure to squeeze half of a lime/lemon over it and salt generously before scooping spoonfuls to the top of your pile of crunchy happiness. (I can’t recommend this avocado delivery highly enough!) If you like sweet-and-savory as much as I do, seasonal fruit is a nice fresh addition as well: citrus segments, slices of apple (tossed in lemon juice), pear, peaches or plums, grapes or tomatoes — as long as you keep it seasonal, you can’t go wrong.
Toppers.
A soft herb is always welcome: cilantro, dill, basil, chervil, celery leaves, and fennel fronds are tops. Feel free to add even more crunch: toasted pine nuts, raw pumpkin seeds, and pistachios work well.
A Salad to Sustain
Serves 1
½ cup cooked grains, such as brown rice, farro, quinoa, barley, etc.
½ cup cooked legumes/beans, such as lentils, chickpeas, butter beans, etc.
2 cups raw, crunchy veg, leftover lightly steamed or roasted in a pinch
Drizzle a few tablespoons of Salad Sauce (recipe below), or olive oil + your acid of choice
A handful of add-ons, such as avocado, seasonal fruits.
A handful of toppers, like soft herbs, nuts, seeds.
Spread out cooked grains and legumes/beans in the bottom of a wide based bowl or plate. Heat in the microwave while you prep the veg.
Slice up the raw, crunchy veg. Pile them all on top of the warm grains and legumes/beans.
Drizzle all generously with salad sauce, then top with add-ons and toppers.
Seasonal suggestions:
Spring: Radishes, baby lettuces, sugar snap peas, asparagus, celery & fennel. (These last two are year-round staples for me! When stored properly, they outlive everything else in the crisper drawer.)
Summer: Zucchini, tomatoes, plums, peaches, lettuces, fennel, endive, celery, cucumber & radishes.
Fall: Celeriac, apples, pears, chicories, lettuces, celery & fennel.
Winter: Endive, celeriac, radishes of all colors, shapes and sizes, celery, fennel & carrots.
Salad Sauce
Makes 1 Bonne Maman or leftover mustard jar
1 heaping tablespoon of Dijon mustard
1 small shallot, peeled and finely chopped (2 Tablespoons)
1 small garlic clove, peeled and grated, a little goes a long way (1/2 teaspoon)
1 big pinch of flaky sea salt and more grinds on your pepper mill than you would ever think necessary— 10 or so? be generous!
1 part vinegar, red wine vinegar is my preferred (1/2 cup)
2 parts extra virgin olive oil (1 cup)
Place all in a jar with a tightly closing lid. Shake wildly (over your sink if you’re even slightly as clumsy as I am).
Taste and adjust seasoning to suit your preferences.
Store any extra in your fridge and shake to recombine (may need to let it come to room temperature).
Variations:
Add a dash of maple syrup to sweeten things up!
Sub a seedy mustard for Dijon.
Add just garlic or just shallot instead of both.
What’s your go-to lunch on a busy day? Tell us all about it in the comments.
Show us your salads on Instagram!
Salad Sauce…sooo much more chic to say than “dressing”. I’m a big veggie and salad advocate and anything to class them up brings joy.
Wee!