For lunch… let’s be real… it’s not always fancy salad and irresistible pretzel dogs.

Usually, at the lunch hour, I open the fridge and pile whatever I’ve got onto a few pieces of bread.  There’s usually salt and olive oil involved. I believe that those are ingredients that belong on damn near everything.

Remember when I made this simple lunch?

Yea… more things on bread with salt and olive oil.

Dinner and dessert are a different story.  Something warm and tender is awesome for dinner.  Chocolate is dessert… even if it has black beans in it.

Please just consider this your reminder to keep it simple and flavorful.

Lunch shouldn’t be a stresser.  Lunch, however, should have balsamic reduction on it… whenever possible.

Goat Cheese and Edamame Lunch Toasts

Slice a baguette into bite-sized slices.  Top generously with soft goat cheese, steamed edamame, olive oil, coarse salt and coarse pepper, and a few drippings of balsamic reduction.

It’s lunch and lunch is good.

The Simple Lunch is for days when:

maybe you’re nervous and possibly overwhelmed.

you’ve considered dipping your morning muffin in good olive oil.

you want to remember the days when you highlighted your hair with lemon juice and sunlight.

you need to sprinkle salt on your lunch aaaannnddd over your shoulder.

you want day wine… maybe two glasses.  no judgements.

Take a moment to enjoy The Simple Lunch…

it’s just like taking a warm morning walk.

it’s just like relaxing on your couch and just zoning out staring at your wall paper.

The Simple Lunch is happy and relaxed.

Grab a baguette, a ripe avocado, lemon, sea salt, fresh ground pepper, and a sprinkling of olive oil.  Aaand go!

Real talk:  I bring you this abbreviated post because I’m bonkers busy right now.  But but but!  BUT!  Avocado toast is majorly delicious and and AND, I’m trying to figure out a way to put baked cheese things on a stick.  I’ll bring you those treats (fingers crossed) this weekend!  I love you… let’s hug.

New Podcast is ready for your ears!  The Grass is Always Greener.  Dudes… it’s a good one!

I meant to make cake.  I meant to make whipped cream.  I meant to buy fresh raspberries.  I mean to smash the three things together into a large bowl and eat it all… and then I made salad.

Don’t yell.  We can not survive on doughnuts alone.

Let me tell you a little something about me… I do this weird thing wherein I eat one thing, all day.  That’s not to say that I eat one carrot all day.  No.  I eat carrots, and only carrots all day.  I don’t know why I do this.  Welcome to crazybrain.

So!  A few days ago when I made doughnuts…. I ate doughnuts all day.  Doughnuts and lime popsicles… because I was thirsty.  Clearly something is wrong with me.

I tell you all of this because it’s important you understand that salad is a good thing around these parts.  A salad recipe means that I’m eating salad all day. My thighs like those days.

Know what makes salad tolerable?  Doughnuts.

No… stop that.  Caramelized onions.

I’m pretty sure that caramelizing onions with a touch of balsamic vinegar is just like turning onions into candy.

Do you know what farro is?  It’s one of my favorites.  Farro is a type of wheat.  It’s boiled in salted water like pasta, then drained.  When cooked it’s puffed and tender, with a hint of al dente crunch.  I love this grain.  Hearty, wholesome and delicious.

I found farro is the bulk section at Whole Foods, but you can also order it online here.

It’s one of my favorite grains.  It’s popular in Italy.  Let’s make it popular here.

Oh!  If you’re not into farro, why not try Israeli Couscous?

Secret:  roasting cherry tomatoes on the vine makes them instantly more fancy and cool.

It is our mission in life to be fancy and cool.  Duh.

Yummy candy onions, fancy roasted tomatoes, hearty farro and fresh parsley.

Yes,  I put parsley in every savory dish I make.  It’s my thing.  It makes me feel chef-y.  It’s like Rachel Ray calling extra virgin olive oil EVOO.  Just give me this parsley thing and we’ll call it even.

Oh.  Ps.  Put fresh grated Parmesan Cheese on this salad.  It is a wonderful suggestion from me to you.

You know that team building exercise you might play at sleep-away camp that requires you to fall backwards into the waiting arms of a fellow camper?  The Trust Fall?  The basic idea is that you completely let yourself fall backwards, trusting that the person behind you has arms outstretched to catch you before you hit the ground.  It’s a very literal way of saying “Hey!  I’ve got your back!”  or “Don’t worry, I’ll catch you if you fall.”  If the person you’ve entrusted to catch you is not paying attention and flirting with her sleep-away boyfriend as you fall… well, you might have trust issues for life.  Not cool.

I bring up the old Trust Fall because we’re talking about sandwiches.  Sandwiches are serious business.  I feel like I need to do a good round of Trust Falling with someone before we’re allowed to make each other sandwiches.  Like I said… sandwiches are serious.

I need to know that someone has got my back when they make me a sandwich.  Who’s making me a sandwich?  No one… that’s not the point.  It’s all about trust, and care and attention.  Like… which slices of bread they choose from the loaf, and how the mayonnaise doesn’t sneak over the edges, and how the tomato slices are just thin enough, and the lettuce is mostly dry from the washing.  Sandwiches have a lot of details.  There’s a lot going on.  I need to trust that my sandwich maker can handle these details… you know?

What?  Too much?  It’s just a sandwich?  Yea… a sandwich.  I take my sandwiches to heart.  I haven’t done the old Trust Fall with the young gentlemen at my local sandwich shop, so frankly, I don’t know if I can trust them to make me a sandwich… ridiculous, but true.

So, yes.  I’m a touch neurotic about my sandwiches.  That’s just how it goes.  Because I’m so ridiculous, I usually make my own.

This time around I made my own mayonnaise, because, holy heck it’s easy!  Mayonnaise is a simple emulsion of egg yolk, flavors like mustard and seasoning, acid, and a fat like canola oil or olive oil.   Olive oil will make a strongly flavored mayonnaise.  I went for a roasted red pepper (I bought a jar) version using grapeseed oil as the fat.  This version creates a slightly looser mayonnaise than the one you might scoop from the store bought jars.  For a plain mayonnaise you can make with a bowl and a whisk, check out this tutorial.  It’s handy.