I spent an hour before the Super Bowl yesterday cooking two vegetarian, whole grain salads to serve as part of our game-watching meal. I don’t think these were exactly what my husband had in mind when he asked me to make side dishes to serve with grilled bratwurst and baked beans, but I spotted these in my new Martha Stewart Meatless cookbook and selfishly knew the leftovers would be perfect for my lunch today.
Since I work from home when I’m not traveling, lunch is always a challenge. I need something that takes little to no time to prepare, is full of healthy ingredients, and will keep me full enough to prevent me from scrounging in the pantry for snacks late afternoon. Salads like these that I can make ahead of time and will keep for a few days are ideal.
Wheat Berry Salad with Artichoke Hearts
From Meatless
1 shallot, minced
grated zest and juice from 1 lemon
3 tbsp olive oil
1/4 cup pine nuts
3 1/2 cups cooked wheat berries
1 can artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
1/2 cup flat-leaf parsley leaves, chopped
shaved parmesan for garnish
1. In a small bowl, combine shallot and lemon juice; season with salt. Let stand 15 minutes or longer. Meanwhile, add olive oil to a small pan and heat over medium. Add pine nuts and cook, stirring until lightly golden, 2 minutes. Remove from heat and add lemon zest to pan.
2. In a large bowl, combine wheat berries, pine nut mixture, artichoke hearts and parsley. Stir in shallot mixture and season with salt and pepper. Add parmesan just before serving. Serve cold or at room temperature. Serves 6.
Farro, Chickpea and Feta Salad
From Meatless
2 1/2 cups cooked farro
1 tbsp pus 1 1/2 tsp fresh lemon juice
1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
2 tsp lemon zest
3 tbsp olive oil
3/4 cup crumbled feta
1/2 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
1/2 fresh mint
salt
Toss farro with lemon juice while warm. Combine with chickpeas in a large bowl. Add lemon zest and olive oil. Let cool to room temperature. Stir in feta, tomatoes and mint; season with salt. Serve cold or at room temperature. Serves 4.
What do you make for lunch? I’d love some recipe links or creative ideas. Side note related to recipes: I am adding a page to my site that will contain links to every recipe I’ve posted. The content is not live yet but I’ll let you know when it is (definitely after my big New York trip this week).
I love a big leftover salad for lunch. Helps me not end up with string cheese and an apple from the kids.
My latest: egg salad with veggies
Spinach, orzo, red peppers, sundried tomato, and feta
Veggie wrap with hummus
Tomato soup, cheese and crackers
Those salads you made look so good!
Thanks! Love the spinach with orzo. Those are all ingredients I usually have in the fridge/pantry.
I also find stuffing whole wheat pita with a salad and hummus is a really tasty lunch as well. I think both of the salad you made would be really good leftover and mixed with arugula and a little more dressing. Yum!
I do eat that a lot- though some days I’m too lazy to make the salad and just eat the hummus and pita