Category: lunch

Bacon and Broccoli Salad with Grilled Chicken

“So often in life, things that you regard as an impediment turn out to be great, good fortune.” Ruth Bader Ginsburg

Edited to add: When I wrote this, Breonna Taylor’s murderers were let off the hook. More protestors were arrested than murderers of Breonna Taylor. Two cops in Louisville were shot the night of this announcement, and Kentucky law enforcement vowed to find and prosecute the killers. Until we value Black lives. Until we show our love with justice. Until we recognize the enduring legacy of enslaved people. Until we change. Nothing is good. Nothing is worthy. Nothing is real. We cannot continue in this country the way we have for the past 400 years. Revolution is coming. The uprising will not be peaceful, and no one will be spared. Choose now which side of history you want to be on.

In a desperate attempt to find an unbiased source of news, I signed up for The Guardian’s daily digest.

Although I remain unsure of its neutrality, this morning I got the most glorious story in my email: it’s all about a tree.

Apparently, The Guardian does a little feature called “tree of the week.” Readers snap a picture of a tree and nominate it, sort of like a vegetal popularity contest.

This week’s featured tree is an oak tree growing firm and steady out of a set of stairs.

We should all be so persistent and hardy in these times.

To help, here’s a little lunch.

May you grow strong and tall through the cracks of your life. That is, after all, how the light gets in.

Broccoli and Bacon Salad with Grilled Chicken
(serves 4)

In addition to being a powerhouse of nutrition, broccoli has medicinal properties that support the body’s transition into fall. It regulates water circulation in the body and boosts qi, making a great option for a satisfying lunch that leaves you full but not weighed down. You can use leftover chicken and make the salad ahead of time – it stays delicious in the ‘fridge for 3 days.

Ingredients

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (see Recipe Notes)
2 tablespoons olive oil
Salt and pepper
4 cups broccoli florets
1 cup shredded carrot (about 2 carrots)
½ medium red onion, sliced thin
½ cup chopped walnuts, almonds, or pecans
½ lb cooked bacon, crumbled (see Recipe Notes)
3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
½ teaspoon mustard powder
¼ cup olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste

Method

Place chicken breasts in a sealed plastic bag and use a rolling pin or heavy pan to pound them into a uniform thickness. Place chicken breasts on a wire rack set over a baking sheet, salt both sides, and place in the ‘fridge for 30 minutes.

While your chicken rests, get started on the broccoli salad.

Blanche your broccoli florets: Bring a large quantity of salted water to boil (prepare another bowl with ice water). When the water boils, add broccoli to it, cooking until just tender/crisp – about 2 minutes. Remove from boiling water and place in ice bath to stop the cooking.

Drain broccoli completely (a salad spinner helps to get all of the water out). Place broccoli in a large bowl with onions, walnut, and crumbled bacon.

Make the dressing: Combine apple cider vinegar, mustard powder, and olive oil and whisk to combine. Pour over broccoli salad and mix to combine. Taste and adjust for salt and pepper.

When your grill is hot, brush chicken with olive oil and season with pepper. Place on the warmest part of the grill for 3 to 5 minutes, looking for grill marks and nice browning. Flip and grill the other side until the chicken is cooked through. If you find the chicken is getting too brown before it’s cooked through, move to a cooler part of the grill. Remove from grill and let rest before serving.

Recipe Notes

• Feel free to substitute a different cut of chicken if you prefer. Simply salt and let rest in the ‘fridge, then grill. The safe cooking temperature for chicken is 160 degrees, but there is some carryover cooking, so removed it from the grill just before it reaches that temperature for juiciest results.
• Bacon can be cooked on the grill right along with your chicken, but it will take longer, so plan ahead. Use heavy-duty aluminum foil or an oven-safe pan and cook bacon just as you would in the oven, flipping once and removing to paper towels when crispy. At 400, crispy bacon takes about 15 minutes.

Cream of Mushroom Soup (Vegan)

Luscious and warming – just like me.

Edited: this was written prior to the death of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. We have apparently now entered the meaty side of things.

Yes, I am aware that I said we would get into the meaty side of things – and we will.

Seems like much of life these days is waiting to get into the meaty things.

But in the meantime, the nights will be in the mid-40s for the next week, with sunny, dry fall days ahead. This vegan cream of mushroom soup is perfect for lunch, or with crusty bread and a big salad for dinner. It freezes well, so put some up for the rainy days ahead.

Cream of Mushroom Soup
(serves 6, with leftovers)

Luscious and creamy without a trace of cream, this silky soup is full of grounding, warming flavors and herbs. A perfect vegan lunch, or see Recipe Notes for meat-eating options. Use homemade chicken, vegetable, or beef stock (see recipes included below), or look for store-bought organic stocks with limited ingredients. Seasoning makes the difference here, so don’t shy away from salt and pepper. Taste as you go.

Ingredients

1 cup raw cashews (see Recipe Notes)
¼ cup olive oil or ghee (divided)
1 cup onion, chopped (red, yellow, and white all work)
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 pounds mushrooms, roughly chopped (see Recipe Notes)
3 tablespoons fresh thyme (or 3 teaspoons dried)
2 tablespoon fresh sage (or 2 teaspoons dried)
6 cups chicken or vegetable stock (divided)
Salt and pepper to taste
Splash of apple cider vinegar for serving
optional for carnivores: ground beef, browned and drained (see Recipe Notes)
optional for serving: fresh thyme and fresh chopped parsley

Method

Cover cashews with boiling water and let sit for at least 30 minutes. Drain, then purée in a blender with ½ cup of chicken or vegetable stock. Set aside.

Heat olive oil or ghee in a large stockpot over medium heat. Add onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until it begins to turn translucent and take on some color (about 5 to 7 minutes). Add garlic and cook for 1 more minute.

Turn the heat to medium high and add the mushrooms, a handful at a time, allowing the mushrooms to color just a bit before adding more. You may need to add a little more ghee or olive oil. Season with salt and pepper, and add fresh thyme and sage. Add remaining stock and bring to a low simmer. Cook until mushrooms are tender (10 to 12 minutes), then add cashew purée, starting with a ¼ cup and adding to get the consistency you want. You may need to add more stock or less cashew purée.

If you are using ground beef, add it back in now and bring the soup back to a low boil. Remove from heat. Add a splash of apple cider vinegar, season to taste, and serve with chopped fresh thyme and parsley.

Recipe Notes

• If you have leftover Cashew Cream, it works well in this recipe. Simply add whatever you like for a nice creamy consistency.
• Select any mushrooms you like. In the fall, look for local chanterelles and porcini mushrooms, as well as year-round shitake and Portobello. A mix of mushrooms works fine here.
• If you are making the carnivorous version of this silky soup, start by browning one pound of ground beef in a stockpot. Remove the ground beef when browned and proceed with sautéing the onion, as above (no need to add ghee or olive oil). Make sure and scrape the browned bits of ground beef off the bottom of the pot as you sauté the onions. Add ground beef back in after you incorporate the cashew purée.

Sunny Days = Delicious Lunch

So much deliciousness in one place.

So it’s about 70 degrees outside as I type this from my aerie facing 35th Street in the Hampden neighborhood of Baltimore.

Just now, I can hear a firetruck and, over that, my neighbor Clarence’s loud voice, booming from his front door as he drinks from a plastic cup that has invariably been filled with something of a high proof since the clock struck 12. He greets everyone, makes small talk, just to be outside in the neighborhood.

It’s a thing, that, the conviviality of a person you don’t know, hailing you from the street as you walk past. He gets louder as the day wears on, and what is now a bit muddy to hear will ring clear as day by the time the sun sets over the yardarm. He is as constant as the sun, out in all weather, and generally one of the things that make daily life in this era feel “normal.”

My day has been filled with an early hike through Druid Hill Park, COVID baking, and this delicious lunch – Warm Lentil and Potato Salad.

The recipe is not mine, but it needs sharing. I made a few changes – you should, too, based on whatever is in your pantry.

To wit:

  • Subbed red onion for shallot
  • Used French lentils (but I think caviar lentils would be incredible here)
  • Subbed kosher dill chips for capers AND gherkins (it’s what I had – spicy pickles would have been nice)
  • Used coarse ground mustard
  • Subbed chives for scallions
  • Used new potatoes that were getting long in the tooth

Fresh herbs may be challenging, but I used parsley, thyme, and chives from my back porch. I imagine you could use dried thyme if you needed to, but the fresh parsley was sort of key.

Serving sizes in the recipe are true. Makes four big dinner servings, especially with a dippy egg cracked on top (which I did not have – see aforementioned COVID baking). I warrant this will be good cold, too, but you could warm it up if you feel so inclined.

Sharp and salty, zingy from the vinegar, and creamy with the flesh of new potatoes, this lunch feels like a healthy hug. I highly recommend it.

What’s on your plate today?