Last Updated on September 8, 2021
The ranks of WFH-ers may have peaked last year, but they’re likely to stay steady even as some people return to the office. And no one wants a sad desk lunch when they’re working at the dining room table all day.
But even without a commute, we still want to minimize time and to be honest, effort. What exactly do we need from a work-from-home lunch?
FAST: Midday on a weekday is not prime kitchen puttering time. Maybe if you’ve put an hour or two in over the weekend, you have some salad dressing prepped, some protein cooked off, some veggies cut up. But in case you didn’t plan ahead and you need to rise up from the desk to forage, you just don’t want it to take that long.
NO FUSS: One thing we all learned this past year—staying home all the time is messy. There’s probably still breakfast cleanup to be done in the kitchen, so why add to the pile? You need a meal that doesn’t require much of you in terms of equipment, ingredients, or prep.
TASTY: This doesn’t need much elaboration.
So where does that leave us?
The Salmon Burger
Open the freezer. Take out a frozen salmon burger. Heat a tablespoon of olive oil over medium-high heat in a nonstick skillet, and add the burger. Sear for 3 minutes, flip and repeat. Reduce heat to medium and continue cooking, flipping occasionally, until cooked through (about 9 minutes total).
This lunch is delicious in the following ways:
- Crumbled into an arugula salad with a mustard vinaigrette, some chunks of avocado, halved cherry tomatoes, and slices of cucumber.
- Tucked into a pita with red cabbage slaw, garlicky chopped pickles, cilantro, and a dollop of yogurt.
- On a sesame seed bun, with pickled red onions, avocado, and a crisp romaine leaf.
Fast, no-fuss, and tasty. You may even have time to clean up the kitchen when you’re done. 🙂
