I LOVE LUNCH!!! [Southwest Chopped Salad]

Also...my book tour!

Hi friends!

I’ve been thinking about LUNCH for a while now. I’m pretty obsessed with it.

As I’ve written about before, my parents both worked full-time when I was growing up. The first question I would ask them every single night when they came through the door was “what did you have for lunch today?” Knowing what someone ate for lunch tells you so much about their day, which tells you a lot about them. Knowing what my parents ate when I wasn’t with them made me feel more connected to them. I love lunch. I love thinking about it.

Our lunch choices tell us so much about each other. First there’s whether or not we eat lunch, whether or not we get to eat lunch. If we do, there’s the where and what of lunch. Are we eating on the go? At a desk? At school? In a restaurant? At home? Are we having something we made ourselves or something someone else cooked? Who is washing the dishes? Who are we eating with, if anyone? Who is paying for lunch? Who is subsidizing it? Who is profiting from it? 

…I have so many questions!!!

So to explore LUNCH with the excitement I have for it, I’ve decided to make my newsletter a TWICE-A-WEEK endeavor!

What does this mean?

• Tuesdays will be all about lunch. For paid subscribers, there will be a weekly easy lunch recipe. This week I’m making it free for everyone, but going forward these recipes will be behind a paywall.

• Tuesdays will also include other lunch-related content such as interviews with people about their lunch routines, Q&As with other cookbook authors about what they do for lunch, and so much more. I have so many lunch plans.

• Thursdays will continue to be my normal newsletter which runs the gamut from behind-the-scenes about my new cookbook to essays, lists of things, CHARTS, etc. All the stuff you’re used to!

• Nothing needs to change on your end — you’ll just be hearing from me a little more and if you want a weekly lunch recipe, please consider becoming a paid subscriber.

Okay! Onto the very first ‘I LOVE LUNCH’ Tuesday installment! Featuring none other than…my mom!

To kick off I LOVE LUNCH, I asked my mom to keep track of what she ate for lunch over the course of a recent week and tell us about it (in the spirit The Grub Street Diet!!) for a segment I will now refer to as “THE LUNCH JOURNAL.” Not only did my mom answer, she also drew her week of lunch!

And she also offered a full introduction:

A Retiree’s Lunch

When I worked full time, lunch was a chance to catch up with colleagues and friends or to refuel setting up for an long afternoon and often an evening of work. Now conversation takes place on a walk with a friend and most evenings are quiet. My forever favorite meal is breakfast, which I can eat any time of the day. Most days I eat an early and hearty one (steel cut oatmeal - love the crunch with walnuts OR toast and cheese OR cottage cheese and fruit, always with black coffee.) When company is around pancakes, matzo brie or challah French toast show up. Green vegetables and greenish salads show up at dinnertime. My lunch go-to favorites are hot soup with a side of good bread, eggs in almost any form, sushi and leftovers re-imagined.

Monday: Mike’s made-fresh-in-front-of-you vegetable sushi from our local supermarket. I pick it up after my Forever Fit class at the gym. And half of the leftover morning glory muffin, toasted with a smear of cream cheese.

Tuesday: Leftover, warmed lasagna. I love all the burnt edges and burnt cheese.

Wednesday: On my way home from Forever Fit I pick up a chicken, spinach and rice soup from the pizza place. With the roll they make from pizza dough. Two kiwis that I cut in half and scoop the pulp out. I love them and must be patient to let them ripen.

Thursday: Eggs over easy on an English muffin.

Friday: Half a large fresh turkey, bacon, avocado sandwich from a local take-out place (Hudson Oven) that is only open Fri/Sat/Sun. My husband Doug eats the other half.

For this week’s Easy Lunch Recipe, I’m sharing one of my go-to lunches, a Southwest Chopped Salad. This salad will be featured in my next online cooking class which is this coming Sunday, October 6th. It’s three of my Go-To To-Go Vegetarian Lunches (all easy recipes you can take with you!). You can find out more info and sign up here!!!

Without further ado, the recipe. For everyone today! Going forward easy lunch recipes every Tuesday will be behind a paywall.

SOUTHWEST CHOPPED SALAD      

Makes a hearty portion, scale up or down however you wish!

For the dressing:

• 1 tablespoon mayonnaise

• 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice

• Your favorite hot sauce (to taste)

• Kosher salt + freshly ground black pepper

For the salad:

• 1 heart of romaine lettuce, roughly chopped (about 3 cups)

• Kernels from 1 ear corn (or about 1/2 cup canned or frozen + defrosted)

• 1/2 cup black beans (canned is great!)

• A handful of cherry tomatoes, halved

• 1/2 ripe avocado, cubed

• 1 large handful tortilla chips, crushed

Place the mayo and lime juice in a small bowl and whisk well to combine. Season to taste with hot sauce, salt and pepper. Place the lettuce in a large, shallow bowl. Top with the corn, beans, tomatoes, avocado, and tortilla chips. Drizzle the dressing on top. Enjoy! 

And before I let you go…something I’ve been so excited to share with you….my upcoming book tour schedule!!! If I’m somewhere near you, please come out and say hi! I love meeting you all in person so much. Many of the events are free and open to all, but some require registration/tickets. That’s why I’m sharing it in my newsletter first before putting it on IG. You all get first dibs! Scroll down for individual event links.

Wed. Oct. 16th at 6p / MANHATTAN: In Conversation with Aliza Arbanel at the Rizzoli Bookstore

Sat. Oct. 19th from 9a - 12p / KINGSTON, NY: Book Signing at Kingston Farmers Market with Rough Draft Books

Sat. Oct. 19th from 4p - 7p / KINGSTON, NY: Queer Soup Night at Common Table with Oblong Books

Sun. Oct. 20th at 10:30a - 12:30p / RHINEBECK, NY: Book Signing at Rhinebeck Farmers Market with Oblong Books

Thur. Oct. 24th at 6:30p / SEATTLE: In Conversation with J. Kenji Lopez-Alt at Book Larder

Fri. Oct. 25th at 7p / CHICAGO: In Conversation with Monica Eng at the Swedish American Museum with Women and Children First

Mon. Oct. 28th at 7p / WASHINGTON D.C.: In Conversation with Joe Yonan at All Souls Unitarian Sanctuary with Bold Fork Books

Wed. Oct. 30th at 6:30p / SALISBURY, CT: In Conversation with Virginia Sole-Smith at The White Hart Inn with Oblong Books

Fri. Nov. 1st at 7p / BROOKLYN: In Conversation with Helen Rosner at Books Are Magic

Sun. Nov 17th at Noon / CLEVELAND: In Conversation with Aubrey Johansen at Van Aken Event Center with SLFMKR

Mon. Nov. 18th at 6:30p / HUDSON, OHIO: In Conversation and Book Signing at Hudson Library & Historical Society with Learned Owl Book Shop