We share easy-to-make summer lunches for work

It’s time to take work lunch a little more seriously. Get up from your desk or take a stroll with this grown-up lunchbox inspiration.

Pesto pasta salad jars

Serves 1  

Total Time 10 Min

• Fusilli pasta, cooked handful
• Basil pesto 2 tbsp
• Olive or canola oil 1 tbsp
• Salt and coarsely ground black pepper
• Baby spinach handful
• Feta, cubed 1 disc
• Cocktail or salad tomatoes, chopped 5-6
• Spring onion, sliced 2 (optional)
• Radish, thinly sliced 1 (optional)
• Lemon, juiced 1

1. In a large jar with a tight-fitting lid, combine the pasta, pesto and olive oil so that the pasta is coated evenly. Season well.
2. Add the spinach, feta, tomatoes, spring onion, radish (if using) and lemon juice to the jar and seal with the lid.
3. Shake jar well just before serving to incorporate all the ingredients.

With avo toast

Avocado on toast is a classic, but it could do with a revamp. Try these tricks to add more flavour, texture and colour. Not only is avocado a great source of vitamins and healthy fats, but it also makes the perfect ‘on-the-go’ breakfast, snack or quick lunch when your schedule gets in the way!

1. Arrange sliced avocado on toast and add lemon juice, chilli flakes and a crack of black pepper.
2. Finish off the sliced avo toast with pumpkin seeds and fresh herbs.
3. Add some bite to avo toast with crispy bacon, a drizzle of honey and a pinch of red chilli flakes.
4. Lather the toast with cream cheese and top with sliced avocado and crispy chickpeas.
5. Spread basil pesto over a slice of toast and layer up with sliced avocado and a soft poached egg.
6. Smear a slice of toast with beetroot hummus, add chunks of avocado and finish with a pinch of onion seeds.

Top Tip

Add a generous squeeze of lemon juice to your avo to stop it from browning too quickly.

Naanwich’ with garlic and cumin yoghurt

Serves 2  

Total Time 15-20 Min

Ingredients

• Olive or canola oil 2 tbsp
• Garlic, chopped 1 clove
• Beef, pork or chicken mince 200g
• Tomato paste 1 tbsp
• Brown sugar 2 tbsp
• Plain yoghurt 1/2 cup
• Ground cumin 1/2 tsp
• Garlic powder 1/2 tsp
• Fresh coriander, chopped 1 tbsp
• Salt and coarsely ground black pepper
• Naan bread, lightly toasted 2
• Cherry tomatoes, quartered handful
• Cucumber, sliced 1/4
• Pickled red onions for serving

Method

1. Fry the garlic in oil for 1 minute.
2. Add the mince and brown for about 8-10 minutes.
3. Stir through the tomato paste and sugar and cook for 2-3 minutes.
4. Add a splash of water (if needed), season and cook until sticky. Remove the mince from the heat.
5. Combine the yoghurt, cumin, garlic powder and coriander. Season well.
6. Spread a generous dollop of the yoghurt mixture on the toasted naan breads and top with the mince.
7. Scatter the tomatoes, cucumber and pickled red onions over the mince and serve.

Top Tip

These fillings work well on toast or inside a pita or a wrap.

The Dagwood stack

Serves 1  

Total Time 10 min

Ingredients

• Canola oil 1 tsp
• Egg 1
• Seeded rye bread, toasted 3 slices
• Basil pesto 2 tbsp
• Butter lettuce handful
• Smoked chicken, ham or salami 2-3 slices
• Cucumber, sliced 1/4
• Salad tomato, sliced 1
• Emmenthal cheese 2-3 slices
• Fresh chives, chopped 1 tsp

Method

1. Heat the oil in a pan and fry the egg sunny-side up for about 3-4 minutes or until crispy around the edges.
2. Spread basil pesto on each slice of rye bread.
3. Layer the butter lettuce, sliced meat, cucumber, tomato and egg on the bottom slice.
4. Top with the second slice of rye bread and repeat the layering process with the butter lettuce, sliced meats, cucumber and Emmenthal cheese.
5. Add the final slice of rye bread and sprinkle the chives to finish it off.

Top Tip

Use any toasted bread of Ace for this recipe.

Pork meatball subs with pineapple, cucumber & carrot

Serves 4  

Total Time 15 min

Ingredients

• Pork bangers 1 pack
• Vegetable oil for frying
• Large baguette, quartered 1
• Fresh coriander or parsley 1/2 punnet
• Mayonnaise 1/2 cup
• Salt and coarsely ground black pepper
• Lettuce, shredded handful
• Carrots, peeled and julienned 3
• Cucumber, sliced 1/2
• Pineapple, peeled and sliced 1/2
• Sprouts or micro greens optional

Top Tip

Can’t find any fresh pineapple? Tinned pineapple works just as well!

Method

1. Remove the pork banger meat from its casing.
2. Roll the meat into golf ball-sized meatballs.
3. Heat the oil in a large pan and fry the meatballs in batches for about 6-8 minutes or until cooked through and golden. Drain them on kitchen paper and set aside.
4. Halve each portion of the baguette down the middle to resemble a sub.
5. Blitz the coriander or parsley and mayonnaise until smooth. Season well.
6. Spread half of the coriander mayonnaise inside each mini sub.
7. Layer the lettuce, carrots, cucumber and pineapple in each sub.
8. Top each sub with 3-4 meatballs and drizzle over the remaining herb mayonnaise. Serve immediately.

Top Tip

Using pork banger meat from the casing saves time because the meat has already been seasoned. Use it as a substitute for pork mince or for the base of pork slider patties.

Honey and paprika steak wraps

Serves 2  

Total Time 10-15 min

Ingredients

For The Steak

• Olive oil 1 tbsp
• Salt and coarsely ground black pepper
• Sirloin or porterhouse steak 1
• Smoked or regular paprika 1 tsp
• Honey or golden syrup 2 tbsp
• Garlic, chopped 1 clove
• Butter 2 tbsp
• Lemon, juiced 1

For Serving

• Beetroot or regular wheat wraps 2
• Hummus, mayonnaise or pesto 2 tbsp
• Red, yellow or green pepper, sliced and cooked 1/2
• Lettuce, shredded small handful
• Red or green cabbage, shredded 1/4

Method

1. Heat the oil in a large frying pan.
2. In a bowl, season the steak and add the paprika, garlic and half the honey. Toss to coat evenly.
3. For a medium-rare steak, fry on for about 3-4 minutes on each side.
4. Add the butter to the pan a minute before the end of cooking. Allow it to melt and add the lemon juice.
5. Use a spoon to baste the steak with the melted butter. Set aside the steak to cool completely before slicing.
6. To assemble, spread hummus on the wraps and layer the peppers, lettuce and red cabbage.
7. Top it with sliced steak and fold wraps to enclose the ingredients.
8. Serve hot or cold.

Top Tip

Always remove the steak from the fridge 30 minutes before cooking. This allows it to come to room temperature. The muscle fibres will relax and as a result the steak will cook more evenly and be more tender.

Spicy and zesty chicken taco bowl

Serves 1 

Total Time 15 min

Ingredients

• Chicken breast fillet, scored 1
• Olive oil 1 tbsp
• Salt and coarsely ground black pepper
• Ground cayenne pepper 1 tbsp
• Ground coriander 1 tsp
• Ground cumin 1 tsp
• Avocado, sliced 1
• Corn kernels, drained and rinsed 1/4 cup
• Salad tomato, chopped 1
• Lettuce leaves, chopped handful
• Olive oil 2 tbsp
• Lime or lemon, juiced 1
• Fresh coriander, chopped 1 tbsp
• Nacho chips handful

Method

1. Drizzle the oil over the chicken and season with the salt, pepper, cayenne, coriander and cumin.
2. Fry the chicken in a large pan for about 6-8 minutes per side or until cooked through and golden. Set aside and slice into strips once cooled.
3. In a container, arrange the lettuce, corn, tomato, avocado and chicken. See page 7 for a visual step-by-step guide on how to make an avo rose
4. Whisk dressing ingredients and season well. 5. Drizzle the dressing over the taco bowl and serve with nacho chips.

Top Tip

Store nacho chips separately from the salad until just before serving to prevent them from going soggy.

Also read: Delicious treats to savour summer flavours

The post Our fave summer lunches that aren’t salads appeared first on MyKitchen.