Easy Lunches Beyond Sandwiches

**Little** · 08-21-2011 03:10 PM

I'm hoping that anybody who knows an easy lunch recipe that doesn't dirty many dishes will post it here. I'm always looking for something good to eat, especially kid-friendly recipes (as I'll have to know plenty soon

)

This is my first contribution:
Onigiri - Japanese Rice Balls

Serves 2
Ingredients:
1.5 cups short-grained white rice
2 half sheets of nori, cut into 8 strips
salt
Furikake or other filling (optional)

Cook rice according to package directions. Mix in furikake if desired. Pour salt in a bowl of water, then wet your hands with it. Use your hands to mold handfuls of rice into triangles, as shown in photo below. Rice will be solidly packed and shouldn't fall apart once formed. Wrap one strip of nori around one side of each triangle.
If using a filling, poke a hole into each handful of rice before forming and push the filling in.

Some fillings I've used are shredded chicken or flaked salmon cooked in teriyaki sauce. The filling should be flavorful and salty. A traditional filling is pickled plums, but I don't care much for them. We like to dip ours into seasoned rice vinegar (the kind used for sushi rice,) but this is not at all traditional!

IMG00290-20110820-1329.jpg
If you use a rice cooker and furikake as a filling, this only dirties two dishes. A meal after my own heart!!

What are your easy lunches?

**JadedQueen** · 08-22-2011 02:09 AM

How about pasta salad? The variations are ENDLESS and it can be prepared at home and brought to work/school in a container.... You can also make wraps like tortilla, and whatever else you like roll it up and it makes a tasty lunch and even though you can use the same items you would in a sandwich, I think the taste is different.

**Mes T** · 08-22-2011 02:23 AM

I think couscous is a great substitute to sandwiches. Great if you have leftovers from previous dinners. You can make a quick stir-fry... Last one I made was just bits of chicken, bacon, asparagus, cashew nuts, soy sauce... all kind of lumped together and served on top of couscous. It was great. Unfortunately my lazy butt does not want to deal with anything other than can of tuna + 2 slices of bread = sandwich soooo... meh.

**Elanor-Jane** · 08-22-2011 03:32 AM

im a fan of a good salad. usually ill make a big lot for dinner and me and my bf will take the leftovers for lunch the next day.

at the moment the popular one is rocket, baby spinach, roasted sweet potato, haloumi with a honey and lemon juice dressing (with olive oil and salt and pepper) also great with chorizo too if we feel like meat in it. oh and cherry tomatos that i bake briefly in honey and garlic. haloumi and honey is a spectacular combination

also a good quick yummy one that u can take to work is a few bits of lettuce in a white vinegar and olive oil dressing green olives cucumber etc and when u get to work put a can of tuna in spring water through it, sirena tuna is my fave cos its intact somewhat and doesnt look like cat food LOL the tuna is amazing and zesty with the vinegar and olive oil. salt and pepper too. my little sister is 14 and a fan of this one. ill also take cut up veges and hommus too yum!

**Little** · 08-28-2011 08:02 AM

These all sound like great ideas

I'm a stay at home mom, so I get the chance to whip up my lunch fresh every day - if baby allows. It gives me a little more wiggle room as far as what I can make.

Another quick lunch idea is sushi (no, really!) It's one of my favorites! If you google up temakizushi, you can see that there is a different kind of roll you can make instead of the wheels you see in sushi restaurants. It's quick and you can even pack it for lunch at work. I lived on this recipe when I was pregnant! It contains lots of sodium, though - probably wasn't the greatest idea.

I use the same short-grain rice as in my onigiri recipe (I cook 1 cup of it for myself and there are always leftovers on top of that,) with seasoned rice vinegar on it. (Supermarkets sell microwave packs of sushi rice too, very convenient.) Though real temakizushi uses half-sheets of nori and gets rolled into a bouquet, I use a quarter sheet of nori and just cup it around the rice and fillings like a hot dog. I usually make California rolls with crab stick, avocado, and cucumber, but you can literally use anything you like.

Sure beats the heck out of Hot Pockets

**Elanor-Jane** · 08-29-2011 03:29 AM

eeeeeww! hot pockets! theyre an american thing right? i think u can get them here but theyre like a weird novalty but not a good one lol---like pop tarts. u can only get them in lolly shops now that sell products from overseas that u dont usually get in supermarkets (reeses peanut butter cups??? tootsie rolls etc) SORRY totally off topic!

I LOVE sushi rolls and sashimi, my favourite is salmon, avocado the yummy mayo, with pickled ginger on top YUM!!!

**Little** · 08-29-2011 08:32 AM

Hot Pockets can be really good in a really bad way, lol. Pop Tarts are not on my list of favorites though.

I live and breathe for sushi. But it's expensive in restaurants. I'm glad I found out about temakizushi, or else my pockets would be a whole lot emptier all the time!

**Trishlm89** · 08-29-2011 09:27 AM

I just found a new recipe that only uses 3 ingredients. I didn't have a whole lot of things in my cupboards at the time and i found this! it had some name like 'grandmas pasta' or something like that but all it is is

1 can -tomato soup
10 ounces- pasta noodles (i used penne noodles, but any noodle other than angel hair or spaghetti will be fine)
5 slices - american cheese
salt to taste

Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente; drain.
In a large skillet over medium heat, warm condensed soup. Do not dilute soup. Add cheese and stir until melted and thoroughly mixed. Stir in salt.
Add seashell pasta to cheese mixture and stir until evenly coated; serve immediately.

its super easy and really good actually!

**Little** · 08-29-2011 09:46 AM

I kinda live for Campbell's soups on pasta. Hubby hates it, says it's way too plain. I guess I could eat it for lunch

Shredded sharp cheddar is REALLY good with tomato soup.

They're especially good on cold days or when sick (which I am!) So I guess I'll have some today. A good combo is shells with Cream of Mushroom soup, a can of peas, and a can of drained tuna. Sounds not-so-great, but you get a taste for it, and it's a total comfort food. I guess I'm headed to the kitchen to fire up a pot of boiling water! It's gonna be nice to breathe in that yummy, soupy smell.

**Needahand** · 08-29-2011 01:35 PM

Don't underestimate things like hummus, cheese cubes, chopped veggies and dry sausages, etc. All can be sliced and diced in no time with little clean up required.