I have decided I should make a pledge. A pledge to be more imaginative with lunches. A pledge not to make the same boring thing week after week. A pledge to try something new.
I only actually make my own lunch twice a week- I let sushi shops and Boots take care of the rest- and so when the weekend comes you would think I would have an weeks worth ideas but instead I am far from imaginative- pre bought soup in the winter and plain salads in the summer.
So here goes week one…
Last week I upgraded my £1.99 julienne peeler to a spiriliser. I don’t have room for one of the super fashionable, leave it out for all to see, large ones that are sold everywhere at the moment, instead I bought a glorified pencil sharpener which sits nicely in the utensil drawer and let’s you create (almost) infinitely long ribbons of veggies.
Having had a prawn and chilli linguine in my notebook of recipes to try for a while I decided I would give it ago with courgetti instead. Super quick to cook and perfectly light for lunch. I used coconut oil for a change which I have decided I rather like as I seem less likely to burning the garlic (and apparently it has all the right fats to be classified as healthy). The only change I’d make is to add a bit if ginger along with the garlic at the start.
Now for planning next week…
Recipe
Serves 2 for lunch
1tsp coconut oil
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 red chilli, deseeded if you don’t like it too spicy
150g raw prawns*
1tsp fish sauce
2 courgettes, spirilised
1tsp soy sauce
Juice of half a lime
Small handful of parsley, chopped
- Heat the oil in a pan over a medium heat, add the garlic and fry for 30secs and then add the chilli for a minute.
- Add the prawns and cook for 3mins until pink and cooked.
- Turn the heat up, splash in the fish sauce and add the courgetti. Cook for 2 mins stirring often until just cooked but still with a bite.
- Add the soy sauce and stir in the parsley. Enjoy straight away.
*Note on prawns if you are watching your salt intake: prawns bought shelled from the supermarket have been soaked in brine and are rather salty (mine were 0.8g per 100g), although this is better than those that have been pre cooked which are even saltier (1.5g per 100g).