SPRING EATING

Spring eating is pretty simple really.
Go for GREEN
Go for SOUR
Watch the OILS.

GREEN

The first thing that comes to mind is fresh leafy stuff.
You do, however, need more than just leaves in your lunchbox. Sprouts of the more serious mung bean, chickpea and lentil variety are an excellent start. And / or add in some lightly blanched “non-leafies” like broccoli, zucchini or fennel.

Need more substance? Go ahead: use that little tin of tuna or left-over sautéed chicken.

Without shifting your basic ingredients too much, a different line of lunch box possibilities opens up when you consider SEAWEEDS as a leafy green.
“Aha”, I hear you say, “nori rolls”.
Remember, brown rice is better than white. Bear in mind also that the shop versions often have sugar in them. Besides, nori rolls are remarkably easy to make and, if you wrap them in plastic and fridge them immediately, will keep well for a couple of days.

SOUR w/ OIL

Green is the colour, but sour is the taste of Spring.

Whether a salad dressing or a dipping sauce
this is the make or break detail of the working day lunch.

Olive & sesame oil (always use COLD PRESSED) give great flavour – particularly if you go for the toasted sesame. Both combine beautifully with lemon/lime juice or apple cider (or white wine) vinegar to give a delicious sour tang. For a bit more substance, try a combination of tahini, lime juice and tamari. Alternatively, fresh feta cheese whipped with some olive oil and lemon juice. Another easy idea – avocado mashed with olive oil and cider vinegar.
TAKE NOTE, with the exception of the avocado option (which will enjoy being in the sour stuff for a few hours only), these sauces will hold up in the fridge for quite a few days. This provides further scope for advance planning and time saving as you rush out the door in the morning.

OILS OF CHOICE

Olive oil and sesame oil are great go-to oils.

OLIVE OIL – the “heart-friendly” fat

Olive oil is primarily a mono-unsaturated fat. It contains high levels of oleic acid and some linoleic acid. These are long chain fatty acid essential for good health and keeping the cholesterol in check. It is particularly good consumed raw, as a dressing or sauce. By contrast, it is not recommended to heat olive oil above 180C.
Depending on the type of olives used, olive oil can also be very high in polyphenols, natural anti-oxidants.
Organic, cold-pressed olive oil is my #1 recommendation.

SESAME OIL – #2 recommendation

Although more a mix of mono & poly-unsaturated fat, sesame oil has excellent levels of both oleic acid and linoleic acid – about 80% of the total fat content. It is an extremely stable oil that also contains anti-oxidants. Unlike many oils with similar attributes, it will keep a long while on the shelf – so long as it is in a dark bottle and out of the sun. One of the big advantages of raw sesame oil, in particular, is its extremely high smoke point. You can use it for all styles of cooking.
Toasted sesame seed oil (also very good for cooking) has a fairly intense taste which really adds something to your salad / dipping sauce.

PUTTING YOUR LUNCH BOX TOGETHER

Nobody likes a soggy salad
It’s worth finding the best box for your lunch

You don’t want to find a gooey mess through your lunchbox – or worse, one that has escaped the lunchbox entirely. It is important, therefore, to not let the logistics of the dressing become an obstacle to your lunchtime enjoyment.
The solution might be as simple as an appropriately sized jar with a good tight lid that you tuck into the corner of your lunchbox. On the other hand, you might prefer to have a multi-box or a compartmentalized leak proof one – like the green frog pictured. (Yes, this is a lunch box! And I think it is leak-proof!)
Having recently looked at lunchboxes, I can tell there is a vast range of choice. This means that there is no real excuse for not getting yourself sorted and able to take full pleasure in your green lunch – in a box (of some description).