Lunch Week 44: Jap Chae

So every Sunday, I head over to the kitchen to whip up a big batch of food for lunch the next week. Yes, I brown bag. And I almost always do it every week unless I become too busy to even buy cold cuts from the deli. I do it for several reasons being health, finance, and laziness. Now, you may think that spending hours on a day off to prep and cook five meals at once is hardly lazy. But let me remind you, I hate it when the time comes to decide what to eat for lunch every day. I work in Midtown so the choices are endless. My problem, the more choices, the harder it is for me. So it's much easier for me to have my lunch ready and already decided.



So my lunch for the week: Jap Chae



The holidays are coming up and I wanted to get a head start on eating well. People, myself included, tend to go all out during these times of the year and end up regretting the over eating. So to offset that gluttony, I've decided to try to be better during the week. So this week, I made vegan jap chae which is a Korean sweet potato noodle dish with various vegetables.

Not only is this dish vegan but it also turns out of be gluten free too (if you're into that). So it's pretty healthy but it's certainly not devoid of flavor nor texture. Oh, it's quite the opposite. Of course, you can add meat or eggs to the dish if you please. Strips of beef like bulgogi or chicken would work really nice here. And even thinly cut strips of egg pancakes would be delicious here. Want protein but not meat? Try tofu. That would be wonderful as well. It's quite versatile actually.

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Lunch Week 38: Bibimbop

So every Sunday, I head over to the kitchen to whip up a big batch of food for lunch the next week. Yes, I brown bag. And I almost always do it every week unless I become too busy to even buy cold cuts from the deli. I do it for several reasons being health, finance, and laziness. Now, you may think that spending hours on a day off to prep and cook five meals at once is hardly lazy. But let me remind you, I hate it when the time comes to decide what to eat for lunch every day. I work in Midtown so the choices are endless. My problem, the more choices, the harder it is for me. So it's much easier for me to have my lunch ready and already decided.



So my lunch for the week: Bibimbop



After last week's unsuccessful lunch (enchiladas made with poor corn tortillas), I wanted to redeem myself with something I know would be delicious and satisfying. At the same point, I wanted a bit of detox as I felt a little off from the last few weeks. So a vegetarian bibimbop was a great way to achieve all those points.

This bibimbop (a Korean rice dish with lots of garnishes) is vegetarian mainly due to the eggs. It can easily be vegan without it. Check your sauces though. Some of them can contain traces of animal products (ie: anchovies) so make sure you check the label.



Bibimbop is fairly easy to make. You make rice and then cook all the garnishes separately. Then you just throw them all together into one bowl for a cohesive meal. Most of the work is really prepping everything. If you're fast with prep work, this would go really quick for you.

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Lunch Week 32: Eggplant Parmesan and Sauteed Kale

So every Sunday, I head over to the kitchen to whip up a big batch of food for lunch the next week. Yes, I brown bag. And I almost always do it every week unless I become too busy to even buy cold cuts from the deli. I do it for several reasons being health, finance, and laziness. Now, you may think that spending hours on a day off to prep and cook five meals at once is hardly lazy. But let me remind you, I hate it when the time comes to decide what to eat for lunch every day. I work in Midtown so the choices are endless. My problem, the more choices, the harder it is for me. So it's much easier for me to have my lunch ready and already decided.



So my lunch for the week: Eggplant Parmesan and Sauteed Kale

What do you do when someone gifts you fresh eggplant and tomatoes? Why make eggplant parmesan! I already have the main ingredients but you'll just have to add some cheese and breadcrumbs. But that wasn't enough for lunch. I also added a side of sauteed kale.

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Cooking: Sesame Noodles

The sesame noodles I made for the potluck were relatively easy to make. In fact, much like Italian pasta, it involved a quick sauce then tossing it with freshly cooked noodles.

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Lunch Week 16: Spring Vegetables with Quinoa

So every Sunday, I head over to the kitchen to whip up a big batch of food for lunch the next week. Yes, I brown bag. And I almost always do it every week unless I become too busy to even buy cold cuts from the deli. I do it for several reasons being health, finance, and laziness. Now, you may think that spending hours on a day off to prep and cook five meals at once is hardly lazy. But let me remind you, I hate it when the time comes to decide what to eat for lunch every day. I work in Midtown so the choices are endless. My problem, the more choices, the harder it is for me. So it's much easier for me to have my lunch ready and already decided.



So my lunch for the week: Spring Vegetables with Quinoa

I'm trying new things this week: quinoa. It's every where now due to the gluten free craze. But some people told me it actually tastes pretty good. So what is quinoa anyway? Well, it's actually a seed. But it can be cooked like a grain so a lot of people enjoy that ease. If you're concerned about whole grains, this is a good option.

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