I love eggs. They're my easy go-to protein. I usually will manage to make a decent lunch out of anything (read: nothing) left in the fridge, as long as there is an egg or two left.
Working from home, I find that lunchtime is always a good opportunity to step out of the office / away from the computer screen for a couple minutes, and fix yourself something healthy, satisfying, delicious. I like to eat lunch while reading something. I'll usually allow myself some blog reading time while I'm eating. (Or facebook time.) When I'm actually reading a book, this is also the time of day that I'll carve out to catch up on a chapter or two.
So here are some simple egg-based lunches that are personal feel good favorites!
Hard boiled eggs are pretty easy. I am picky about how I cook them, though. I like the yoke to be runny and firm at the same time. My trick is: 10 minutes total. Put eggs in cold water with the lid on, set timer for 10 minutes. Remove, rinse with cold water (to stop the cooking process) and peel.
This string bean recipe is an oooooold time favorite of mine. Simply boil your beans in a tiny bit of water and coarse sea salt in a frying pan. Once the water is evaporated, add olive oil, minced garlic, one dry hot pepper, and fresh cherry tomatoes. (any kind of fresh tomatoes, or a bit of tomato paste will do to!) Go generous on salt and pepper and stir as it all cooks together. If you have some lemon, add the juice of 1/2 a lemon, and the zest too. Sometimes I'll add chopped peels straight into the mix, as they cook they give a nice bitterness to the dish.
For the beans to be al-dente but still cooked, it'll take about 10 minutes. HOW CONVENIENT.
It took me a long time to attack the subject of poached eggs in my life. They were so scary. They seemed like some magical, impossible to master, unicorn eggs. Turns out, pretty easy too! Start with a pot of almost boiling water and vinegar (the cheap kind is fine). Make a swirl in your water with a wooden spoon, dump your raw egg in there! Set timer for 3-4 minutes depending on how runny you like the yoke. Fish it out carefully, set on a dish towel or paper towel to absorb excess water. And VOILÀ!!
I like to have cabbage as much as I can. I love all sorts of cabbages, and they are super duper good for you. Yu Choy is pretty great (Find it by the bok choy in grocery stores, or go to china town.) I usually fry it in a bit of water and olive or sesame oil, add pepper and sesame seeds once it's tender.
I don't think I need to give you any secret advice on how to fry an egg.... I personally prefer olive oil over butter. So when I'm eating an egg over salad, I know I'll use olive oil. The taste won't bother me. (maybe not the same if it's a breakfast bacon and egg situation ;))
My favorite lettuce is arugula. If I have any left-over veggies, or meat, I'll add it to my bowl too. Place your runny egg over it, with some Sriracha if you like your life spicy. The egg yoke and spicy sauce will do the trick in terms of vinaigrette. Which saves you some calories!
I usually have a giant glass of water with lunch, to try to make up for never having enough water during the rest of the day. I also love Bolt House Farm's smoothies. Especially the Green and Blue goodness ones. I love to have a big glass of the green goo with lunch, to catch up on some vitamins.
Now, I know making your own juices is mucho more bestest better. Maybe I'll ask for a blender or juicer for Christmas. ;)