Easy quinoa salad
Law school classes will fully return to in-person after reading week, and that means the lunch box (or the dinner box, for those of you who have evening classes) is back in business! I usually pack the random leftovers from my weekend cooking into my lunch box, and that sometimes creates a bit of planning pressure when I don’t feel like doing serious cooking. But I have recently discovered a lunch box formula that is easy to prepare, low in cost, and incredibly satisfying. The best thing about this formula is that it does not require much thought to be tasty and filling, and it certainly has made me look forward to lunchtime at school.
Quinoa Base (4 servings)
1 cup quinoa*
1 cup barley OR 1/2 cup pearl barley + 1/2 cup green whole lentils
*Quinoa used to be pricey, but I recently spotted them at No Frills in bulk at a decent price. If you have access to Costco, they probably have the cheapest quinoa in town.
Method
Quinoa: Rinse quinoa before cooking to get rid of the bitter taste. Place the quinoa with two cups of water in a pot with a lid. Bring the pot to a boil in medium heat. When boiling, turn down to low heat and let it simmer for 15-20 minutes, until the water has almost evaporated. Remove the pot from the heat, place the lid on and let it steam for 5 minutes. Fluff the quinoa with a spoon immediately.
Barley & Lentils: Rinse before cooking. Put them in a pot with about 3 cm of water above the grains (or per package instructions). Bring to a boil in medium heat. When boiling, turn down to low heat, and let it simmer for 20-25 minutes until the barley is tender (if using lentils, they will be cooked at about the same time). Drain the excess water.
I sometimes put some roasted pumpkin in the base if I have it on hand. Roasted sweet potatoes and/or regular potatoes should also work fine.
Dressing for the Base*
1/4 cup tahini
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil (I sometimes swap half of it for more tahini to yield a more creamy texture)
Juice from a whole lemon (if not a fan of lemons, use less)
2 full teaspoons Dijon mustard
2 full teaspoons maple syrup
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
Ground black pepper to taste
2 tablespoons or more water, to loosen the sauce
*Or use your favourite sauce/salad dressing instead. I started with a lemon tahini dressing just because I had a big bag of lemons lying around. I have recently tried putting bibimbap sauce on the quinoa base and it tastes amazing.
Method
Combine tahini, olive oil, lemon juice, mustard, maple syrup, salt, and pepper in a jar you want to store the dressing in. Mix them up until smooth. Slowly add the water until it reaches your desired consistency. Taste and add more salt, lemon juice, or maple syrup if necessary. Leftovers will last a week in the fridge.
Protein
Extra-firm tofu, sliced*
1 part soy sauce, to taste
(Optional) 1 part mirin OR 1 part water + a bit of sugar/maple syrup
Cooking oil
*4-6 slices for 1 serving. You can prepare 2-3 servings in one go and store them in the fridge. I would recommend tofu without soaking water – the firmer, the better. Extra-firm tofu is available in every supermarket, but if you go to an Asian supermarket, I would highly recommend getting a block of unflavoured pressed tofu there (it’s also cheaper). Alternatively, wrap a block of extra-firm tofu in a tea towel and put a heavy pot on top of it for 30 minutes.
Method
Slice the tofu into about 0.5cm thick slices. Grab a large non-stick pan. Heat oil in the pan with medium heat, and when the oil is hot, place the sliced tofu in it. Pan-fry for about 2 minutes. When the bottoms are golden brown, flip to fry the other sides for another 2 minutes. Meanwhile, mix the soy sauce and mirin in a measuring cup. When both sides of the tofu are golden brown, pour in the soy sauce mixture. Stir and flip to let both sides absorb the seasoning. Wait until the soy sauce has almost evaporated, and then remove the tofu from the pan immediately.
Vegetables (1 serving, can be doubled up)
1/2 red, yellow, or orange bell pepper
A handful of kale*, Chinese greens (bok choi, choi sum, gai lan, etc.), or if you want to go extra thrifty, napa cabbage
Soy sauce, to taste
Cooking oil
A clove of garlic, sliced (optional)
If using napa cabbage, a bit of vinegar to taste
Method
Slice the bell pepper. Roughly chop the leaves of the kale/greens/cabbage, and chop the stems into small pieces. Heat some oil in a non-stick pan or wok on medium heat. Add garlic if using and fry until fragrant. Fry the bell pepper and stems of the greens first. When they become a bit soft, toss the leaves of the greens into the pan. Continue to stir fry until the vegetables have softened. Add soy sauce (and vinegar for cabbage) at the end, stir for a few seconds, and remove from heat.
*I know it’s a controversial move to stir fry kale, but trust me—it tastes great with soy sauce or oyster sauce, and the stems will not be wasted either!
Assembly and Storage
To serve on a plate: Combine one part (1/4 of cooked grains) of quinoa with one part of barley and lentils to make the base. Mix one heaping tablespoon of dressing into the base. Layer the tofu and vegetables on top.
To pack for lunch: Mix the quinoa base with the dressing and then place the tofu on top. I usually package the vegetables in a separate container because they can be too watery.
Storage and make-ahead instructions: Store the leftover quinoa base and tofu in containers in the fridge for a maximum of four days. The dressing can be stored for about a week in the fridge. The cooked vegetables can last for one day, so I would recommend cooking them fresh or cooking no more than two servings at a time.
