The other day I was craving something warm for lunch. I enjoy having big salads and fresh fruit at lunch but sometimes I want something warm. Especially in the colder months! It’s hard to cozy up to a nice big salad when it’s 17 degrees outside.
We had some leftover rice from the previous night’s dinner and I had some chard that needed used up. Combine the two and you’ve got a great lunch!
It was super quick to put together. I sauteed up:
- 1/4 Onion, sliced
- 1/4 Green Pepper, sliced
- Once large bunch of chard, chopped
- Shredded carrots
- A few broccoli florets
Sauteed in some olive oil with a pinch of salt, pepper, red pepper flakes, chili powder, and garlic powder.
Added in the leftover rice at the end and cooked just long enough for it to heat through.
Spooned in bowls, topped with a bit of shredded cheddar and a few dashes of hot sauce.
Perfect warm lunch and super easy to put together. Could be assembled the night before or early in the morning to take to work.
The only thing I had to chop was the chard. I already had shredded carrots on hand ready for weekday salads. I had sauteed onions and peppers leftover from dinner a previous day and I had broccoli in a bagged, prepped and ready to go.
The idea was to use up what I had on hand to make a quick meal.
You can also add in some extra protein by adding in beans or some scrambled eggs. If you have leftover meat or fish from dinner the night before, you could add that too. Whatever you like and whatever you have on hand is the concept for this dish.
It’s a great way to utilize leftovers and to make a quick filling meal.
Have fun guys, and remember, always play with your food! Enjoy!
I love using leftovers this way. Would be great with spelt or wheatberries too. All those tasty veggies.
Diana, yup! It could work with any grains really or even something like lentils.
I would totally eat something like this for lunch
Rose, it definitely hit the spot on that cold afternoon!
This is similar to what we did for dinner the other night! Whipped up a quick batch of Alton Brown’s baked brown rice; meanwhile, sauteed some frozen broccoli (gotta make do with the frozen veggies sometimes), garlic, jalapenos, and leftover chicken breast. I topped it with some teriyaki sauce because I was feeling lazy, but I think a nice honey mustard sauce or balsamic vinegar/olive oil blend would have been tasty too.
I’ll definitely have to add this to my quick weeknight recipes. I love swiss chard.
Ooo teriyaki sauce, yum!