I know, it's a strange name but that's actually why I wanted to post this recipe. Not too long ago, I decided I wanted to create a recipe series called "I'm Only Human Recipes". Basically, these recipes are less complex and creative than my usual blog recipes but with the idea that these can easily fit into your life on a daily basis. You might say they're meal suggestions as opposed to a true recipe. You can read more about them in my Big Skillet Dinner post.
I actually made this salad on a day I forgot my lunch. I got to work and realized I had brought my lunch bag with my drink and a snack in it but forgot to take my lunch out of the refrigerator that morning. Since my gluten intolerance is pretty severe, I can't just run out and grab something from a restaurant. I'm also not so good at skipping meals ;)
Over my hour lunch break, I drove to the store which was about 10 minutes away. I ran in and grabbed a bag of pre-washed salad, a package of uncured turkey lunchmeat, and a package of uncured pepperoni. I wanted dressing but I didn't want to spend time trying to figure out which ones were gluten free. I was going to grab a lemon, since I like plain lemon juice on my salads but as I was walking down the aisles, I saw a miniature bottle of hot sauce that I knew was gluten free. Hot sauce on a salad? It's actually good! My thought process was that I like to bite open pepperoncini on my Italian salads and drizzle the brine on top. That's pretty spicy, so how is hot sauce that different?
It only took a few minutes to assemble the salad back at my desk. Luckily, I keep paper plates and plastic utensils at my desk but if you don't have anything, be sure to pick some up at the store. The great part was that I had enough ingredients left over to make another salad the next day.
Because this salad is meant to be prepared by shopping at the grocery store nearest to your work and assembling it back at your desk, it's formatted a bit different. Ingredients are simply suggestions that you select based on preference and what's available to you. Amounts are imprecise and meant to be eyeballed because it's highly unlikely that you have measuring cups and spoons at your work (and if you do have those things at you're work, you probably have a pretty awesome job). Salads are pretty forgiving as there are so many combinations of ingredients that work. In the photo of this salad, I used romaine lettuce (because that's my favorite), a combination of roast beef and pepperoni, pepperoncini, slivered almonds, and topped with pepperoncini brine. I'd love to hear what ingredients you use if you try it!
PrintRecipe
The "I Forgot My Lunch" Salad
- Prep Time: 5 mins
- Total Time: 5 mins
- Yield: 1 serving 1x
Description
A celiac-safe meal you can grab ingredients for over your lunch break and still have enough leftovers in the office fridge to eat throughout the week.
Ingredients
- 2 large handfuls of pre-washed, bagged salad mix of your choice
- 3 oz lunchmeat or canned fish such as tuna, salmon, or sardines (make sure lid is pull-top)
- For the dressing: your choice of lemon juice, lime juice, hot sauce, or brine from a jar of pepperoncini - to taste
- small handful of almonds or sunflower seeds, optional
Instructions
- Place two large handfuls of salad in a bowl.
- If you bought lunch meat, cut or tear it into bite sized pieces. If you bought canned fish, drain and separate the meat with a fork. Add this to the top of the salad along with the almonds or sunflower seeds, if you're using them.
- Top with lemon juice or hot sauce to taste. If you bought a jar of pepperoncini instead, pour a little brine over the top and add a few pepperoncini to your salad.
Notes
There are no true measurements in this recipe because I'm assuming you won't have the tools to measure ingredients while out and about.
If you buy canned fish, make sure you either have a can opener or the can has a pull top.
If you don't have anything to serve this in, remember to pick up paper bowls and plastic utensils at the store!
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