I have always found that lunch is one of the toughest meals of the day, especially when you don’t plan to be home in the morning to prepare. You either have to prep ahead time, grab snacks to make a meal or eat out for lunch. The cheaper and healthier option is to make your own lunch, obviously, but we don’t always feel like we have time. Plus, the typical lunch options get boring way too fast. It is a savior when you have some go-to delicious cold salad recipes on hand that you can take to work with you during the week or to the park or beach on the weekends.
These cold salad recipes are ideal for people on-the-go that are made with easy meal planning.
Edamame Feta Cold Salad
recipe by Averie Cooks
ingredients
1 1/2 to 2 cups shelled and cooked edamame (I boil for about 5 minutes in the micro)
1 cup frozen or fresh corn (I use frozen and set it on top of the hot edamame in the bowl and it thaws in minutes)
1 cup cooked wheat berries (about 3/4 cup cooked quinoa or quick-cooking brown rice may be substituted to save time)
1/2 red pepper, seeded and diced small (yellow or orange peppers may be substituted)
1/2 bunch cilantro leaves with stems discarded, or to taste
heaping 1/2 cup crumbled feta, or more to taste (I used fat-free)
2 green onions, trimmed and sliced very thin (I use entire onion from white to green)
1 small/medium Roma or vine-ripened tomato diced small, optional
1 small/medium Hass avocado peeled, pitted, and diced, optional
1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste
1/2 teaspoon black pepper, or to taste
generous pinch cayenne pepper (doesn’t make it spicy, makes it not bland)
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons lime juice
2 tablespoons olive oil
instructions
To a large bowl, add all ingredients in the order listed, and toss very well to combine. Taste and adjust seasonings as necessary. Salad may be served immediately although the flavors marry, develop, and salad tastes even better the second day.
Salad will keep airtight in fridge for up to 4 days.
Greek Yogurt Chicken Salad
recipe by Damn Delicious
ingredients
2 cups leftover rotisserie chicken
1/2 cup diced red onion
1/2 cup diced apple
1/2 cup grapes, halved
1/4 cup dried unsweetened cranberries
1/4 cup slivered almonds
1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice to taste
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
instructions
In a large bowl, combine chicken, red onion, apple, grapes, dried cranberries, sliced almonds, Greek yogurt, lemon juice, garlic powder, salt and pepper, to taste.
Serve sandwiches on bread with lettuce or eat as is.
What are your favorite go-to lunch recipes?
