Naomi Twigden - Lunchbox Salads: More than 100 Fast, Fresh, Filling Salads for Every Weekday

HEY

Were two cooks who love all food and enjoy eating healthily for the way it makes us feel.

After training and working as chefs and in the food industry in London and abroad, a few years ago we decided to start a food delivery business in London called Lunch BXD. We felt that so much healthy food was restrictive or dull and we wanted to show how it could be zingy, filling and flavorful, and naturally healthy too. Each morning we prepared lunchboxes and then hopped on our bicycles to deliver them to offices around the city. It was a whirlwind adventure of quinoa, kale and our signature satay sauce.

This book contains everything we learned along the way about making fast, fresh and simple good food. We want to show you that salad can be much more than just lettuce leaves.

Hope you enjoy.

Naomi Twigden and Anna Pinder

@bxdideas

HOW THIS BOOK WORKS

The aim of this book is to offer easy, approachable, affordable, convenient, substantial AND vibrant salad inspiration for every working day. All the recipes here use 10 or fewer easy-to-buy ingredients and take no more than 30 minutes to make.

Our salads are substantial portions designed to keep your energy levels up throughout the afternoon. Every recipe makes 2 portions and everything will keep well for 2 days in the fridge. (Weve included specific packing instructions with each recipe to avoid soggy leaves at lunchtime.)

We sometimes suggest packing the dressing separately. To do this, line a mug or glass with 2 pieces of plastic wrap. Make sure you have a good bit extra hanging over the sides of the mug/glass on all sides, then pour in the dressing or dip. Gather the extra plastic wrap and twist into a knot to seal the dressing inside. Pop the pouch into your lunchbox or bag. When you are ready to serve, pierce the plastic wrap with a fork or knife and pour the dressing out.

The recipes are designed to be cost-effective and repeat ingredients in different ways so you dont end up with lots of waste or a pantry full of different spices and grains. Theres a suggested list of essential dry ingredients , listing where every ingredient is used to help you make the best of any leftovers.

WE WANT TO SHOW YOU THAT SALAD CAN BE MUCH MORE THAN JUST LETTUCE LEAVES

This is not a vegetarian cookbook but each chapter in this book is focused around a hero vegetable. They are our heroes because they are either the largest element of the dish or the star in terms of flavor. Youll find meat and fish ideas here too but we want to celebrate the versatility of veg, and break the misconception that you need meat and fish to make a meal.

Using vegetables over meat and fish cuts down costsif youre making packed lunches youre probably aiming to save money, so by focusing on vegetables thats a lot easier to do.

By focusing on one main vegetable it is easier to find a recipe that uses up what is available and limits food waste too.

Theres a lot in the press about why eating less meat is good for our health and the environment. We personally feel better on a balanced, colorful diet packed full of fresh vegetables.

Our recipes are easy to customize, though, to suit your taste buds or dietary preferences. Feel free to add chicken or swap cheese for tofu.

The recipes are your basic guide but cooking them should be creative and fun, so weve added tips throughout the book to help you get creative in the kitchen and use up what you have in the fridge or what is in season.

All our recipes have 10 ingredients or fewer and assume you already own oil, salt and pepper. To help keep costs down and minimize waste, the following ingredients would be handy to have in stock as they appear frequently throughout the book.

CANNED/JARRED

Chickpeas

Sweet corn kernels

Tuna

Kidney beans

Butter beans

Jarred roasted red peppers

SAUCES

Cider vinegar (or balsamic or white wine)

Soy sauce

Peanut butter (preferably sugar-free)

Honey or brown sugar

Harissa

Tahini

DRY STORE

Unsalted cashews

Sliced almonds

Pumpkin seeds

Sesame seeds

Unsweetened shredded coconut

GRAINS

Brown rice/wild rice

Green lentils

Whole wheat pasta

Quinoa

Dry noodles

SPICES

Ground cumin

Crushed red pepper flakes

Ground cinnamon

Smoked paprika

Dried Italian herbs

Curry powder

FRESH/FROZEN

Lemons/limes

Garlic

Ginger

Frozen peas

Frozen shelled edamame beans

Greek yogurt

We specify different nuts, seeds and pasta types in our recipes for variety and flavor but all types would work well.

UTENSILS

All recipes are easy to make with basic cooking equipment. A blender is required for some recipes as is a spiralizer. If you dont have a spiralizer, vegetables can often be bought pre-spiralized or you can shave them into ribbons with a peeler instead.

OILS

We recommend different oils based on the flavor or how they work at high temperatures but they are mostly interchangeablein general we use mild olive oil for drizzling and dressing and vegetable oil or coconut oil for cooking.

SQUASH NOODLES WITH SHRIMP + COCONUT-LIME DRESSING

INGREDIENTS:

1 cup frozen shelled edamame beans