Think Outside the (Lunch)Box

Do you ever find yourself stuck in a lunch rut, getting tired of eating the same cold cut sandwiches, canned soups or pb&j's everyday? Start the new year off right and get those creative juices flowing by stepping outside the traditional lunch box for some newer, healthier, and spunkier recipes! Unlike most people who view making or packing lunch a tedious chore, I view this task as a time to get creative and pack in my veggies into one easy dish that's ready to go. Usually I take leftovers from dinner the night before for lunch, but with a little planning over the weekend or on a slow weeknight, you can also make one of these three types of all-in-one cold salads that are perfect for a delicious and nutritious lunch, no-heat necessary. And as always with my non-specific recipes, feel free to use what you have on hand and adjust the recipe to your liking!

Fiesta Corn Pasta Salad

Directions: Cook 1lb bag of corn pasta (found it at trader joes), rinse with cool water and put in large bowl. Add 1 can of rinsed black beans, 2 bell peppers (diced), 1/2 small onion (chopped), 1 clove of garlic (minced), 2 avocados (chopped), 2 tblsp of olive oil, and the juice of 2-3 limes. Mix all ingredients together and spice it up with salt, pepper, cumin, chili pepper, cilantro and hot sauce of your choice!! 

Cranberry, Feta and Almond Brown Rice Salad

Directions: Cook about 2 cups of dry brown rice (or any type of brown or wild rice blend), rinse with cold water and place into a large bowl. Add about 1 cup each of dried cranberries, slivered almonds, and feta cheese crumbles. You can also add some raw broccoli pieces (I used a bag of broccoli slaw mix from trader joes) for an extra crunch and added nutrients. Drizzle olive oil and balsamic vinegar over mixture, season with salt and pepper, and combine well.

Crunchy Apple, Fennel, Cabbage Slaw

 Directions: Combine one chopped fennel bulb, 1/4 head purple cabbage (chopped), 2 apples (diced) and a handful each of chopped or slivered almonds and dried cranberries. In a separate small bowl, whisk together 1 tblsp dijon mustard, 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar, 1 tblsp olive oil, and small drizzle of honey. Pour over slaw, mix well and season with salt and pepper to taste! 

Apple, Beet and Fennel Salad

This recipe is up there as one of my favorite fall dishes of all time.  I know many of you may be hesitant or weirded out by beets or fennel, let alone the thought of eating them together. But just bear with me and trust me that if you keep an open mind and are willing to try new flavor combinations, you will be pleasantly surprised. This is a delicious, simple, healthy, seasonal, fresh and extremely scrumptious recipe that will wow your palate and feed your soul.

Many people have been scared by beets after being forced to eat pickled beets as a child, but in my experience, after people try freshly boiled or roasted beets for the first time, they genuinely enjoy them. These colorful root vegetables in season nowadays are sweet and satisfying, not to mention packed with powerful phytonutrients that help protect against heart disease and cancers. I know you've heard to eat a variety of colors everyday; well, beets are a great place to start. And by the way, the greens are absolutely edible- just cook them up with some olive oil, onions and garlic, and you have a great side dish on the table in no time. Check these babies out:

Now to the fennel. Fennel is a fantastically flavorful vegetable with a white bulb and green feathery stalks, all of which are edible and fresh from the autumn through spring.  Fennel is so unique with its subtle licorice flavor, slight sweetness and superior crunchiness. It's also loaded with vitamin C, potassium and folate, while being extremely low in calories and high in fiber. It pairs really well with beets, apples and oranges, as you'll see with this dish. Seriously, you HAVE to try it!

APPLE, BEET AND FENNEL SALAD

Ingredients

3-4 medium beets

1 large fennel bulb

1 apple

1/4cup orange juice (fresh is best, but whatever you have)

1 tsp olive oil

2-3 tblsp fennel frawns, chopped (dill would also be good)

salt/pepper to taste

optional- goat cheese would be fantastic with this salad!

Directions

1. Wash the beets well and boil for about 30min or until soft enough to fork

2. Meanwhile, peel the outer layer off of the fennel bulb, cut in half and chop into thin slices.

3. Wash the apple and chop into small pieces and add to the fennel slices.

4. Once beets are cooked, let them cool and then rub the skins off. Chop into bite-size pieces.

5. Combine with the fennel and apple, add orange juice, fennel frawns, salt and pepper to taste.

Yes, once combined, the beets will turn the entire salad pink.. how fun! 

This picture doesn't even do justice to how beautiful and festive this dish is... I'm not much of a photographer and my iPhone camera, though great, doesn't really have the same effect as a regular camera. And quite frankly, I would rather eat the food than take pictures of it, so I do apologize if my pictures don't make you drool over the food like most food pictures in magazines or online. I'll work on it!