On The Go Salad Lunch Ideas

Hi everybody!

In my last blog post, I mentioned that I was quite keen on sharing some of the blog posts that I have been working on, but never got around to posting. This is amongst the few.. Do keep in mind that I did intend on posting this back in the summer, where we still had warmer weather, (not that it has drastically changed now, but the concept applies) therefore these recipes are based on a lot of summer inspired ingredients and flavours. Also, I would like to point out that if you have noticed, the title for this blog post is On The Go Salad Lunch Ideas, emphasis on the On The Go as well as the Ideas. My point being I do admit that these recipes are more tricky than what I usually do or share but again, because this was a post idea meant to be for the summertime, I initially intended on it being a picnic/party/end of summer bbq food idea post where there is an occasion which is slightly more of a reason to put in that extra effort. I then went back and forth on a suitable title, leaning a lot towards back to school lunch ideas but I find that these recipes are not realistically, very practical for back to school. Allow me to suggest that you guys switch up the recipes and do it according to your preference and convenience and take this as just a guideline if that makes things any easier.

Back in mid August I believe, I took a day trip with my boyfriend to a lovely, quaint little town a couple of hours from where I live and there was a massive park with loads of people having little picnics. I thought it was really cute and lovely and it inspired me for today's blog post.

I have been having salads for lunch for as long as I can remember. Most of the time, i will pop out to buy my salads from cafes or have them in restaurants. I love having salads for lunch as my job requires quite a lot of mental strength and focus and I find that if I have too heavy of a meal during lunch, I tend to dose off slightly which affects my work. On the rare occasion that I do pack my lunch, I like packing something a little different from lettuces and tomatoes. I understand that packing salads for lunch is quite a challenge as although it take minutes to prepare, there is always the possibility of it wilting before you can get into it. This then will ruin your lunch and if you are a working one, you would understand when I say lunch is sacred. Therefore, I have gathered some of my favourite salads to have on-the-go. Again, as I mentioned before, I understand that these recipes are a level up from what I usually will put on my blog but I guess this is aimed towards the food/cooking enthusiasts out there as I know that there are plenty of you. If not, you can always have this for an occasion or a gathering, you really do not even have to take these anywhere, just having them in the comfort of your home is such a pleasure.

Japanese Noodle Salad

Ingredients:-

• Japanese ichiban seasoning
• 1/2 cup canola oil
• 1 tap garlic paste
• 2 tbsp rice wine vinegar
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp pepper
• 1 tsp sesame oil
• 1 tbsp ginger paste
• 2 tbsp honey
• 1 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 small cabbage, sliced thinly
• 2 tbsp black sesame seeds
• 100g edamane, cooked and shelled
• 3 cups baby kale
• 1 red pepper, sliced
• 1/2 cup cilantro, chopped
• 3 green onions, sliced
• 1 packet ichiban noodles, crumbled

Method:-

1. Whisk all the dressing ingredients together and then slowly add the oil while whisking until incorporated. 
2. Toss all the salad ingredients together and add the dressing and again toss well. 

Crunchy Chicken Salad

Ingredients:-

• 3 tbsp butter
• 3 oz ramen noodle soup mix
• 2 tbsp sesame seed
• 1/4 sup sugar
• 1/4 cup white vinegar
• 1 tbsp vegetable oil
• 1/2 tsp pepper
• 2 cups cut up cooked chicken 
• 1/2 cup dry roasted peanuts
• 4 medium green onions, sliced
• 1 bag (16 oz) coleslaw mix

Method:-

1. Melt butter in a 10 inch skillet over medium heat. Stir in seasoning packet from noodles.
2. Break block of noodles into bite sized pieced over skillet and stir noodles into butter mixture. Cook 2 minutes stirring constantly and stir in sesame seed. Cook for another 2 minutes, stir constantly until noodles are golden brown.
3. Mix sugar, vinegar, oil and pepper in a large bowl. Add remaining ingredients and noodle mixture. Toss.

Herbed Tomato Salad

Ingredients:-

• 3 pints cherry tomatoes, halved
• 14 oz can of palm hearts, rinsed and chopped
• 1/2 cup basil, chopped
• 1/2 cup goat cheese, crumbled
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• juice of 1 lemon
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp pepper

Method:-

1. Mix all the ingredients together.

Bean Salad

Ingredients:-

• 2 cans black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 can red beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 can pinto beans, drained and rinsed
• 2 cups frozen corn
• 3/4 cup red onion, minced
• 3/4 cup carrot, finely minced
• 1 jalapeño, min ed
• 1 cup chopped cilantro
• 2/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 3 tbsp lemon juice
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 3 tablespoons vinegar
• 1 heaped tbsp cumin
• 2 tsp salt

Method:-

1. Combine the black beans, red beans, pinto beans, corn, onion, carrot and jalapeño in a large bowl.
2. In a small bowl, whisk together the cilantro, olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, vinegar, cumin and salt.
3. Right before serving, pour the dressing over the bean mixture and mix together thoroughly.

Watermelon and Goat Cheese Salad

Ingerdients:-

• 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1 handful fresh verbena leaves
• 1 tsp coarse salt
• 1/2 seedless watermelon
• 1/2 pound fresh goat cheese
• 1/2 cup unsalted pistachios
• 2 tbsp red wine vinegar
• 1 tsp sea salt
• 1 dash pepper

Method:-

1. Roughly chop the verbena and place in a mortar and add the olive oil and coarse salt. Grind for about 10 minutes and let it sit in room temperature.
2. Cut the watermelon into cubes and place in a salad bowl in the refrigerator.
3. Place the pistachios in a pan and on low heart toast them for 5 minutes.
4. Remove the pistachios from the pan and chop them roughly. Set aside in a small bowl.
5. Crumble the goat cheese.
6. Take the olive oil and verbena mix and put it through a small mixer until completely mixed and add the vinegar. Mix again.
7. Take the watermelon out of the fridge, add the goat cheese, drizzle the vinaigrette, sprinkle the pistachios and finish with the sea salt and pepper. Mix and serve.

I have actually tried out all of these recipes and more, myself as I got very into cooking in the summer, but these are just a few of my top favourites. My absolute favourites will be the watermelon and goat cheese salad because I really love the contrast between the sweetness of the watermelon and the saltiness of the goat cheese together the herbs and it was very nice and refreshing in the summer, although I am pretty sure I will enjoy it all year round. I love the bean salad as well- I love bean salads in general but making your own homemade bean salad makes it that much more satisfying and it stores well, so you can keep it in the refrigerator and have it as and when you like. I was thinking of doing more of a proper lunch idea blog post as well as a back to school lunch idea blog post so do look out for that in hopefully the very near future. 

To give you an update if your are interested, (if not then do skip this bit) as I am sure you are aware of it, London Fashion Week is starting on Friday (12/9) which is all well exciting, also it explains why I am currently in such a busy state as far as work goes. September is also a very exciting and busy month in the fashion world therefore I would like to share my views and the trends for spring/summer '15 very soon so that is something to look out for on this blog. In the meantime, do follow my Instagram account to catch up on the happenings. New York is currently having the second last day of New York Fashion Week which is very exciting as well and sadly I could not be there like I was last year, as I am now taking on more responsibilities in my job and I have to play a part in the insane preparation needed for LFW. However, myself and everyone at the office are keeping track of the SS15 trends in New York with the use of amazing technology.

Use the hashtag #jessthedream to share with me, any of your recreations if you have tried these recipes or if you would like to share anything else, clothes, makeup products, accessories, hairstyles etc. Also, check out my other social media sites and comment below sharing your favourite on the go salad idea. Have a great day everyone ! Xx

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