Most of the time no one ever comments on anyone else’s lunch at work. People just tend to prep and stir and microwave whatever they’ve brought or picked up at a local shop, and eat without even noticing what anyone else has. But today as I pulled my lunch out of the fridge, a couple coworkers stopped what they were doing commented. Ooh, that’s so pretty. What is it?
That’s because my lunch was one of these, which we prepped yesterday afternoon. Layered all together in a jar, especially if you try to pick the more colorful veggies, it’s definitely an eyecatching lunch. And more importantly, it’s extremely tasty.
We’ve made them a number of times before – or perhaps I should say that we’ve made something similar to them. Pretty much the only part of the recipe we follow consistently is the peanut sauce (except for the sesame seeds because those just seem unnecessarily fussy). The rest – eh. Totally up to interpretation. Whole wheat noodles instead of soba. A sprinkle of peanuts instead of the edamame or the crunchy noodles. Skip the raw onions because neither of us is a fan. Whatever’s in season at the farmer’s market, instead of sticking to just the veggies listed in the actual recipe.
This week’s version includes shredded carrots, peanuts, chopped yellow bell pepper, and chunks of sugar snap peas. During the winter, sometimes I add shredded cabbage, or even some lightly steamed broccoli, and then heat it up before eating. But when the temperature is soaring over 90 degrees outside, and the farmers market has new things popping up on the tables every weekend, I prefer to eat it cold.
The letter N is brought to you by the Blogging from A to Z Challenge.