Lunch: Snazzy Grilled Cheeses and Arugula Salad with Faaaaaaabulous Dressing

When I considered resuscitating this blog – out loud in the public forum that is Facebook – my friend Claudia requested an entry on lunch… the bane of my culinary existence.
In the midst of my shoe-finding, deodorant applying, e-mail checking, news watching all while coffee drinking morning routine, lunch often gets short shrift. On good days, it’s leftovers from the weekend, on not so great days it’s leftovers from the weekend (and it’s, say, Friday). I’ve also be known to bring the raw ingredients – the entire head of lettuce, jar of dressing, chunk of cheese, loaf of bread…logistically cumbersome.

But I found that stocking up on a few items makes things a little easier. Good bread and cheese are lifesavers. Freeze sliced bread in ziploc, toast lightly to defrost, top with cheddar cheese, toast again to melt. You can add a bit of ham and Dijon, tomato slices or slivers of apple to get a something akin to the overpriced sandwich sold down the street. But what about greens? To this quandary I offer the simple arugula salad with what my friend Erin refers to as the faaaaaaaaahbulous dressing (aka my house dressing).

Simple Arugula Salad
Arugula
House dressing
Good parmesan cheese
Take a large handful of arugula. Dress with a dash of house dressing. Add generous sliver of parmesan on top.


House Dressing
1-2 tbsp Dijon mustard

1 tbsp chopped garlic

Juice of 1 lemon

1 tbsp mayo (optional)

Large pinch kosher salt (yes, kosher)

Black pepper

3/4 cup olive oil

In a mason jar or glass measuring cup, mix the lemon juice, mayo, garlic and Dijon. Slowly whisk in the olive oil. Season with salt and pepper. Store leftover dressing in the refrigerator and give it a good shake before each use.

To pack: Place arugula and parmesan in a Tupperware. Put a little dressing in a small plastic container (I like to recycle condiment tubs that come with take-out from my favorite Korean place).

For a crowd: Allow guests to dress their individual arugula salads. Serve slivers of parmesan. This way, you aren't left with a bowl of dressed greens and you can store the rest of the ingredients for - ta da- lunch!