brown bag lunches for grown ups

When finances are tight, one of the first places people look for some savings is the lunch bill.  Packing school lunches for kids is the norm, and there are plenty of ideas out there for great child-friendly, healthy lunches.  But what about the grown ups?  A few days of the same old turkey sandwiches and congealed leftovers, and its back to the chain restaurant specials (which often aren’t so special) and the fast food meals loaded with calories and salt.  

This brown bag recipe calls for boneless, skinless chicken breast, but consider changing things up a little with some leftover steak or lamb, or even some grilled zucchini or eggplant.  Though the chicken in this recipe calls for a marinade, there is no reason to let it sit.  In fact, the acid in the yogurt can make the chicken a bit mushy, so just dunk and grill (or broil.) 

Naan bread is softer than pita, but pita pockets will do if you can’t find naan. 

Marinade:

4 oz. Greek yogurt (thicker than plain yogurt.  You can also simply drain plain yogurt in a tea towel)

1 ½ tsp garam masala (available in the spice aisle)

1 tsp chili powder

1 tsp salt

1 fresh hot chile pepper, such as jalapeno or Serrano

Juice of half a lemon

2 TBS chopped cilantro

Mince the chile, and mix all of the ingredients together.  Add two chicken breast halves, either whole, or sliced if you prefer them to cook more quickly.   I grill mine whole, and they are easy to slice as I need them.  Make this when you are already grilling or broiling something, and let them tag along.  They can be stored, fully cooked, in the fridge, until you are ready to make lunch.

Make a simple sauce.  Combine:

1 seeded, peeled, diced cucumber (a melon baller is a great tool for seeding a cuke--gather the diced cubes up in a kitchen towel and wring out the extra moisture)

1 small hot pepper, minced

1 green onion, minced

1 tsp salt

Juice and zest of 1/2 lemon

1 tsp finely minced fresh mint

2 TBS minced cilantro

 

diced cucumber, draining in the sink--you can just wring

it out in a towel

the beautiful beginnings of a raita

 the end result, with the addition of some Greek yogurt

Sandwich assembly:

1 piece of naan bread

small tomato, chopped and drained on a paper towel

minced hot pepper to taste (remember there is already some in the marinade and raita)

3 thin slices of onion (white onion works very well, and can be toned down by a quick rinse in cold water)

Handful of chopped cilantro

1 half sliced, marinated, cooked chicken breast

Optional garnishes are thinly sliced pickle, shredded cabbage or lettuce, and Tzatziki  or raita sauce

Stuff the sliced chicken, tomato, pepper, onion, cilantro, and any other garnishes in the naan or pita pocket, alternating layers so you have all of the flavors throughout.  Wrap in foil or parchment paper.  If you are using tzatsiki or raita sauce, pack it in a little container to add at lunch time to prevent your sandwich from getting soggy.   With a little planning, you can have a brown bag lunch in no time, loaded with tasty and interesting ingredients!

not your typical brown bag lunch