The Bank Holiday weekend has finally arrived at last, this weekend will see the county full of barbeques, and lunch is becoming the new dinner.
The menus of Mayo are no longer just concentrating on heavy evening meals, a light lunch seems to be the ‘in’, thing these days.
There is nothing as pleasing as enjoying a light lunch outdoors, and with so many different varieties of options, Why not?
Sandwiches, panini’s, wraps and salads are some of the ideas that come to mind when thinking about a light lunch, so here are some of my personal favourite recipes.
BLT or TLT
Everyone knows about the BLT sandwich, but why not try my healthier and tastier option, the TLT. I like to use turkey breast instead of bacon, and here is my twist on the classic sandwich, The Italian TLT Classic.
Ingredients
2 teaspoons reduced-fat mayonnaise
2 teaspoons refrigerated reduced-fat pesto
1 Ciabatta Roll
A nice handful of rocket leaves
1 small vine-ripened tomato, sliced
3 cooked turkey breast slices
Grated mozzarella cheese
Cracked Black Pepper
Method
Cut the Ciabatta roll lengthways and spread the mayonnaise and pesto on the bread. Fill with the tomato, cheese and the turkey breast slices, and put it in a hot oven to warm and when the cheese has melted, add the fresh rocket leaves, and season with black pepper.
Cut in half and serve with a few low fat crisps and a small side salad. Simple and delicious, and definitely a bit different. Turkey breast meat is also a very low fat option, and the pesto gives it a tasty twist.
Roast beef and horseradish wrap
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Beef and Horseradish sauce is a lovely combination topped with gravy, and served with vegetables and Mashed potato, but how about the same combination in a wrap?
Ingredients
2 teaspoons light mayonnaise
½ teaspoon horseradish sauce
1 flour tortilla
2 large lettuce leaves shredded
3 slices lean roast beef
1 tomato chopped
1 scallion chopped
Method
Mix the mayonnaise and horseradish in a small bowl. Spread the mixture on one side of the tortilla. Place the finely shredded lettuce in the middle of the tortilla, followed by the roast beef, scallions and tomato.
Fold the outer edges in, then roll. Cut in half and enjoy. How about a burger for lunch? But not a big greasy beef burger that’s full of calories, how about a sweet and spicy chicken breast burger that takes five minutes to make?
Hawaiian chicken and pineapple burger
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Why not keep things exotic with a little bit of pineapple on your burgers.
Ingredients
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (4 to 6 oz. each )
4 pineapple slices (1/2-inch thick )
1 fresh jalapeno chilli, thinly sliced
Teriyaki sauce
4 slices Swiss cheese
4 whole-wheat rolls
1/2 medium red onion, thinly sliced
Method
Open the chicken breasts with a knife so that they are fairly thin, which lets them cook quicker. Combine chicken and enough teriyaki sauce to cover it in a bowl and marinade in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes, to enhance the flavour.
Heat a large frying pan until hot. Remove the chicken breasts from the marinade and place on the pan; discard any remaining marinade.
Cook for four to five minutes, flip, and immediately add cheese to each breast. Continue cooking until cheese is melted and chicken is lightly charred and firm to the touch. Remove from the pan and set aside.
While chicken rests, add pineapple and rolls to the pan. Cook rolls until they're lightly toasted, and pineapple slices until they're soft and caramelized, about two minutes per side. Top each roll with chicken, pineapple, red onion, and jalapeno chilli slices. If you like, drizzle the chicken with a bit more teriyaki sauce.
Add lettuce or tomatoes or whatever other filling that you like and serve with low fat oven chips.
Seashell salad with buttermilk-chive dressing
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Seashell pasta is a name that my kids have given to conchiglie pasta, which you can find in every shop nowadays. This is a lovely recipe with an unusual, but delicious dressing, why not give it a try?
Ingredients
8 ounces uncooked seashell pasta
1 Tbsp. frozen green peas
4 Tbsps. Low fat mayonnaise
4 Tbsps. fat-free buttermilk
1 tablespoon minced fresh chives
1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
½ teaspoon salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 garlic clove, minced
2 cups loosely packed baby spinach leaves
1 teaspoon olive oil
4 slices of ham finely chopped
Method
Cook pasta according to package directions. Add peas to pasta during last 2 minutes of cooking. Drain and rinse with cold water.
While the pasta cooks, combine all the other ingredients in a large bowl. Add pasta mixture and toss to coat.
Serve and watch it get wolfed down. You can add anything you want to this salad, like chopped red pepper or tomatoes if you want to bulk it up and give it colour. Sometimes I substitute warm chopped rashers to it instead of the ham.
There you have it, some lovely Lazy Light Lunch Ideas, I hope that you will try one or two of them, as they are all easy to make, and a nice change maybe? If you have any cooking questions or would like a recipe for anything at all, please feel free to contact me on [email protected] and I will do my best to help you out.
