picnic Archives - Page 2 of 2 - Fix Me a Little Lunch

Spicy Tuna Salad

written by Ali

I had a long and lazy Memorial Day weekend, punctuated only by a brief outing across the bridge from Vancouver to the Portland side of the Columbia River for lunch one day. The days were fairly cool, but I did get some sunshine on Monday. I want to keep the three-day weekend vibe going all week long, so decided a picnic at my desk was in order – thus, spicy tuna salad (a recipe for the potato salad that accompanies this will be on the blog later this week).

I’m a huge fan of spicy tuna rolls, but also much too lazy right now to roll my own sushi, much less make sushi rice. I decided instead to go with canned tuna and spice it up with some siracha and sesame oil. Otherwise, this is a fairly standard tuna salad – a little celery and a little mayo finishes it up. I’m keeping all the other parts separate to serve at my desk on Tuesday: a piece of pita bread and a couple of lettuce leaves.

Spicy Tuna Salad
Serves 2

1 can tuna, drained
1 stalk celery, finely chopped
1 tablespoon mayonnaise
2 teaspoons Siracha
1 teaspoon sesame oil

Combine all ingredients in a small bowl. Serve in either pita pockets or on romaine lettuce leaves.

May 31, 2016 0 comment

Lunch Recipes Salad

Not a Niçoise Salad

written by Ali

This week, I had a serious craving for a robust salad for my lunch. I also wanted smoked salmon, but then became enticed by a smoked trout I found at our local grocery. I’m a fan of a mix of interesting vegetables in a salad and had created what I thought was a Niçoise salad last summer, complete with roasted potatoes, salty kalamata olives, and blanched baby green beans. After doing some research today, I learned that this isn’t strictly a Niçoise salad. So I’ll own up to it not being such a thing and let it stand on its own for just being a great lunch salad.

The smoked trout was a bit too teriyaki-tasting for me and clashed a bit with the pesto dressing. I think either canned tuna or baked salmon would have been a better choice, so have included those as options here

Pesto Lemon Dressing
Easily dresses 3 salads

3 tablespoons pesto
¼ cup olive oil
Juice from a small lemon
½ teaspoon salt
A few grinds of fresh pepper

Combine all ingredients in a small jar, cover with a tight lid, and shake vigorously.

Not a Niçoise Salad
Serves 3

3 hard-boiled eggs, peeled and cut in half
1 package smoked steelhead trout, smoked salmon, or one can canned tuna, or a small fillet of baked salmon
One head endive
One small head romaine lettuce
5 or 6 radishes, sliced
½ cup kalamata olives
1 can quartered artichoke hearts
6 or 7 baby potatoes, quartered and roasted (see below)
Drizzle the baby potatoes with 2 teaspoons of olive oil and roast in an oven at 400 degrees for thirty minutes, stirring half way through.

Divide ingredients among three plates or containers. Dress with the pesto lemon dressing.

January 19, 2016 0 comment