Quick recipes: Here’s how you can pack a crunch in your lunch with salads
Choose salads to break the monotony of greasy curries and subzis in your office lunch.
Bored of the regular lunch you pack for office every day? Switch to a big bowl of salad and make it part of your office lunch, this summer. From zesty Mediterrenean flavours to the subtlety of dry fruits, these salads offer a world of flavours in a bowl. You can have them cold or warm, depending on the mood you are in. Moreover, they can be prepared in a jiffy, sparing you the trouble of cooking an entire meal for the day. However, be wary of the calorie intake in terms of the dressing used. Opt for healthy dressing options such as vinaigrette, chilli-lime, and Greek yoghurt, instead of mayonnaise or ranch.
Here are some easy salads to get you started:
DRY FRUIT SALAD WITH ORANGE COULIS
Take 40gm each of roasted almonds, cashew nuts, and walnuts, and mix with 20ml tamarind chutney and some shredded mint leaves. In a pitcher or jar, take 200ml fresh orange juice and add one tsp lemon juice, some crushed mint leaves, and a pinch of chaat masala. Arrange the roasted dry fruits in a bowl and sprinkle some crumbled orange segments on it. Serve the orange juice coulis by the side in a decanter. Eat chilled.
Recipe by chef Harangad Singh, Prankster
Preparation time: 10 minutesCalorie count: 140
TOMATO AND OLIVE SALAD
Cut some bread slices into dices and fry them till golden. In a bowl, combine 25gm each of diced red and green peppers, 50gm diced tomatoes, 20gm each of lettuce, sliced onions, green olives, and sliced cucumbers. Dress with 20ml extra virgin olive oil and 5ml red wine vinegar. Season with some crushed black pepper. In a separate bowl, crush two garlic cloves with salt. Add 20gm parsley and continue to grind. Add some olive oil to get a pesto-like consistency. Make a relish by taking the pulp of a tomato and adding olive oil to it. Serve by plating the tomato dressing in the centre, spoon the salad over it, and top it off with parsley dressing.
Recipe by chef Deepak Bhatia, The Westin Gurgaon
Preparation time: 10 minutesCalorie count: 125
BAKED ASPARAGUS SALAD IN PHYLLO PASTRY
Take 30gm asparagus and season it with some salt, pepper, and olive oil. Wrap the asparagus in phyllo pastry sheets and bake till golden crisp. Peel 30gm soaked almonds and boil with 70ml milk. Make a fine puree of this mix and add salt to taste. Cut 15gm dry apricots and cook them in water with some rosemary and 10gm sugar. Use this as dressing for the salad and enjoy with almond puree.
Recipe by chef Diwakar Balodi, Ananda in the Himalayas
Preparation time: 15 minutesCalorie count: 115
ROASTED CHICKEN CAESAR SALAD
In a bowl, take 100gm lettuce, 20gm sun-dried tomatoes, some halved black olives, 100gm roasted and sliced chicken breast, 65gm sliced English cucumbers, 100gm boneless chicken leg strips, 25gm hung curd, 75ml Caesar dressing, some chopped coriander and mint, salt and pepper to taste, 50gm cream, and some garam masala and cumin powder. For the dressing, mix 25ml each of Balsamic vinegar and garlic juice, 50gm mayonnaise, some chopped parsley, and 100gm grated Parmesan cheese. Toss this dressing with the salad and serve cold.
Recipe by chef Tilak Sundar Vel, Fresh Menu
Preparation time: 15 minutesCalorie count: 230
WATERMELON AND FETA SALAD
Cut watermelon into dices and chill for some time in the freezer. In a bowl, take 10ml vinaigrette and mix it with some lime zest. Toss 40gm romaine, iceberg, and rocket lettuce leaves in the dressing, along with the diced watermelon. Add 20gm feta cheese, two chopped basil leaves, and 15gm toasted and crushed walnuts. Sprinkle some black pepper and toss well.
Recipe by chef Tilak Sundar Vel, Fresh Menu
Preparation time: 15 minutesCalorie count: 228
NICOISE SALAD
Mix 200gm tuna, four boiled potatoes (sliced), two small tomatoes (chopped), some cooked and chopped French beans, four little lettuce hearts (quartered lengthways), two boiled eggs (halved), and eight black olives. Make dressing with 100ml extra virgin olive oil, three tbsp vinegar, two tbsp freshly chopped parsley, two crushed garlic cloves,one tsp each of salt and pepper. Give everything a nice toss.
Recipe by chef Amit Sinha of L’Opera
Preparation time: 10 minutesCalorie count: 190
PEAR AND POMEGRANATE SALAD
Combine 70gm arugula leaves, 100gm sliced pears, 20gm pomegranate seeds, and 10gm blueberries in a large bowl with 20ml balsamic reduction, 20ml extra virgin olive oil, salt and pepper (to taste). Gently toss it all. If the salad seems dry, add more oil in small increments until it is dressed to your liking. Crumble 10gm goat cheese, pomegranate seeds, and pecan nuts over the top.
Recipe by chef Gagandeep Sawhney, Shangri-La’s — Eros Hotel
Preparation time: 10 minutesCalorie count: 321
WARM MUSHROOM SALAD
Blanch 50gm each of cepe and shiitake mushrooms, 20gm shimeji mushrooms, and 10gm button mushrooms. Slice them and toss in wok till dry. In a separate wok, add some truffle oil and cook the dried mushrooms. Add 5ml each of dark and light soy, salt to taste, and toss for some time. In the end, add chopped spring onions, drizzle some more oil, and garnish with fried onions.
Recipe by chef Zhang Hao, Hyatt Regency
Preparation time: 12 minutesCalorie count: 275
