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The Big Lunch Hangover

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The Big Lunch Hangover

When you're still kinda full at 7pm but don't want to skip dinner, what do you do?

Kate Bittman
Mar 20, 2023
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The Big Lunch Hangover

www.bittmanproject.com
Pea and Arugula Frittata. Photo: Kate Bittman

How many of us haven’t had deep thoughts about, or written about, or extolled the merits of, breakfast for dinner? Similarly: How much have we all considered and dissected the possibilities of not-sad-weekday lunches?

I personally have thought about these two meal “opportunities,” let’s call them, a lot. I love a frittata or eggs-in-a-hole for dinner, and I’d like to enter pancakes into that mix, too (I keep forgetting, is the thing). As for weekday lunches — I’m getting better at those, thanks to my newfound enthusiasm for salad creation.

Something else I’ve thought about a lot is this: You go out for a big lunch. Let’s say you even have a drink, maybe two. It happens! You eat pasta, or a cheeseburger, or maybe even pizza. You’re full for a really long time. (And probably have a hard time working for the rest of the day, due to lethargy. At least, that’s usually the case for me.)

There are a lot of people out there who skip dinner or claim to just have a bowl of cereal for dinner on a day like this. Not me. But I also am not really capable of eating two giant meals in a day anymore. For which I’m grateful, because realistically I can’t handle it — my body will let me know this fact.

I’ve built up a list of things that I can eat on these nights. I’m sharing a few with you today. Anything that makes its way onto this list has to fit into two categories. Number one: It has to be relatively light. Like, not carbonara, which is one of my “regular” go-tos. And two: The dish has to lend itself well to leftovers. Because if I’m going to cook dinner on a day that I’ve eaten three steaks for lunch, chances are there will be leftovers, and I’m going to want them to be leftovers that get eaten.

Here’s what I have. And I hope you’ll share your counterparts in the comments below. 

  • Pea and Arugula Frittata: Because I love frittatas so much, at any time of day. It’s hard to think of an ingredient that wouldn’t work in a frittata. (Chocolate chips?) And mastering a frittata is something that even I can do. 

  • Spicy Tuna Rice Bowl: Because it turns out that soy sauce and scallions mixed with canned tuna taste really good. 

  • Tofu “Larb”: Because the flavors of larb cannot be beat, and because you could easily put this on a salad the next day.

  • Salmon with Hot Sauce Vinaigrette and Pickled Veg: A Bon Appétit recipe that I am in love with. I should be tripling the recipe when I make it, honestly.


Pea and Arugula Frittata

Makes: 4 servings
Time: 30 minutes

Many of you know how much we love frittatas, and this one offers a super green variety. It’s almost like a salad frittata — the ratio of vegetable to egg is pretty perfect. Frozen peas are just fine. Parmesan is perfect, but you can beat 4 ounces of soft goat cheese into the eggs instead if you’d prefer.

Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons olive oil

  • 1 small onion

  • 1 pound arugula

  • Salt and pepper

  • 6 eggs

  • 4 ounces parmesan cheese (1 cup grated)

  • 2 cups peas (frozen or fresh shelled)

  • Chopped mint or chives

Instructions

1. Put the olive oil in a large ovenproof skillet over medium heat. Trim, peel, and chop the onion. Add the onion to the skillet and cook, stirring occasionally until it’s softened, 3 to 5 minutes.

2. Raise the heat to medium-high. Add the arugula to the softened onion, a handful at a time, and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Stir and cook until the arugula is just wilted and the liquid is evaporated, 5 to 10 minutes.

3. Crack the eggs into a medium bowl. Add the parmesan, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and beat the mixture with a fork or whisk. Turn the broiler to high; put the rack 4 inches from the heat.

4. When the arugula is ready, add the peas, herbs, and a sprinkle of salt and pepper. Stir to combine and turn the heat to low. Pour the eggs into the skillet, tilting it or using a spoon to distribute them evenly. Cook until the eggs are barely set, 5 to 10 minutes.

5. Transfer the skillet to the broiler and cook just until the eggs turn golden, a minute or 2. Cut the frittata into wedges and serve, hot, warm, or at room temperature.

— Recipe from How to Cook Everything Fast

Pea And Arugula Frittata
56.4KB ∙ PDF file
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Photo: Kate Bittman

Spicy Tuna Rice Bowl

A Spicy Tuna Rice Bowl using canned tuna – combined with soy, sesame, and wasabi – may be a strange concept, but trust me, it works.

Makes: 4 servings
Time: 25 minutes

Ingredients

  • 1 ½ cups short-grain white rice

  • 1⁄4 cup rice vinegar

  • 2 tablespoons sugar

  • Salt

  • Two 6-ounce cans tuna (preferably packed in oil), drained

  • 1⁄4 cup mayonnaise

  • 3 tablespoons soy sauce

  • 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

  • 3 scallions, whites and greens separated and chopped

  • 1 celery stalk, chopped

  • 1⁄2 teaspoon wasabi powder (or mustard powder), or to taste

  • Pepper

  • 1 ripe avocado, peeled, pitted, and sliced

  • 2 tablespoons sesame seeds

Instructions

1. Put the rice in a small saucepan with 3 cups water, the rice vinegar, sugar, and a large pinch of salt. Bring to a boil, then adjust the heat so the mixture bubbles steadily and enthusiastically without boiling over. Cook undisturbed for 5 minutes, then stir, cover, and cook, checking every few minutes, until craters appear on the surface of the rice and no water is visible when you tip the pan, another 5 to 10 minutes. Stir again, cover, and remove from the heat; let the rice sit.

2. While the rice is cooking, mix the tuna, mayonnaise, soy sauce, lemon juice, scallion whites, celery, and wasabi powder in a bowl and sprinkle with pepper. Taste and adjust the seasoning, adding salt if you like.

3. To serve, stir the rice with a flat wooden spoon or a rubber spatula, using a fast, scooping-and-folding motion and pressing down gently until the rice is sticky and cooled a little, just a minute or 2; taste and add salt if necessary. Divide the warm rice among 4 bowls, top with the tuna mixture and sliced avocado, and garnish with the sesame seeds and scallion greens.

— Recipe from Dinner for Everyone

Spicy Tuna Rice Bowl
55.2KB ∙ PDF file
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Photo: Kate Bittman

Tofu “Larb”

Makes: 4 to 8 servings
Time: 30 minutes

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