Lunch / Déjeuner

For lunch, I pack a salad. I make all five of my salads at the start of the week and my newest trick is to layer them in gigantic mason jars. The dressing goes on the bottom. Next come all the hard vegetables that I think will taste good marinated in the dressing so things like carrots, onions, radishes. Sometimes I put beans in this layer too. After that is soft vegetables that I don't want marinating but that can handle being splashed a bit. Then I put in the greens, which by now are separated from the dressing by the layer of vegetables so they won't get soggy. Proteins and extras come last. When it's time to eat, I just dump the salad in a bowl, mix it up, and eat it. If for some reason I don't want any of the ingredients marinating in the dressing then I just go back to what I was doing pre-mason jars and I pack the dressing separately from the salad to avoid sogginess.

Like with my smoothies, I have a formula that I follow to make creating salads easy to do. I just pick some things from the following categories and then make a salad dressing to go with it:

Greens: This part is usually lettuce, but it can also be spinach, kale, arugula, dandelion greens, or some other kind of greens.

Fruits and Vegetables: Any fruits and vegetables work. I like cucumbers, radishes, sprouts, tomatoes, carrots, avocados, green apples, pomegranates, bell peppers, snap peas, onions, mandarin oranges, and berries the best. You can also add cooked or pickled veggies for more interesting flavors.

Proteins: Nuts, cheeses, eggs, beans, and seeds are my go-to proteins. My favorites are pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, peanuts, almonds, walnuts, cashews, goat cheese, cheddar, parmesan, hard-boiled eggs, beet-pickled quail's eggs, cooked black beans, and chickpeas.

Extras: Croutons, craisins, quinoa, farro, olives, etc.


How to Make Dressing:
I make my own dressings. I tend to prefer vinaigrettes and (unsurprisingly) I have a formula for making vinaigrettes as well. First, I make the salad dressing base with a 3:1 ratio of oils to acids. Next, I pick some add-ins and taste as I go to decide how much to use. Last, I shake the whole thing up to mix it.

Oils: olive oil, avocado oil, peanut oil, walnut oil, flax seed oil, sesame oil

Acids: balsamic vinegar, rice vinegar, apple cider vinegar, wine vinegar, lime juice, lemon juice

Add-ins: honey, maple syrup, molasses, jam, garlic, lemon pepper, sesame seeds, mustard, pureed fruits or vegetables

If I want a creamy dressing like blue cheese, buttermilk, or ranch I use a different formula. My base is  something I learned from Martha Stewart Magazine. Just mix buttermilk, sour cream, and mayonnaise in a ratio of 4:2:1. From that base I use mix-ins to make the dressing I want:

Green Goddess - avocado, chives, parsley, and lemon juice
Ranch - chopped garlic, thyme, parsley, dill, mustard, onion, and cayenne pepper
Thousand Island - ketchup, relish, and onion

Other ideas include roasted garlic, pepper, parmesan, honey, lemon, or blue cheese.