Random veggies and lunch for work

I think I should apologize for the slight lameness of this post. I like having this blog because I like having a reminder of what I've made so that when I'm wondering what I should eat, I have a nice long list to refer to. This is such a simple and obvious meal that it is embarrassing that I have to post about it - but I do, because inevitably there will come a time when I will wonder what I should make for lunch and I won't come up with anything. With this post, that should never happen again.


It's not a particularly inventive meal, but it accomplishes several things:

a) uses up some veggies that are about to perish
b) easy to make
c) cheap
d) good to pack for lunch


I had a red bell pepper that was on its last legs and had no idea what to do with it. I'm not sure what inspired me, but I thought I would roast it (with a little onion) in the toaster oven (still too hot to turn on the real oven). Then I could stick it in the fridge and just add it to a salad or some grains later on.


How timely, as I saw this post on the kitchn for a ridiculously simple and obvious meal - just a can of black beans (with lime and cumin, and some other stuff). I added red onion and a jalapeno instead, and mixed in the roasted veggies (which I had made the night before) along with black beans (which I had drained and rinsed).


I ate about a third of the black bean mixture right away, with some chopped tomatoes, cilantro, and a not-fully-ripe avocado (i.e. easy to dice), all doused with some lemon juice and salt and pepper. Delish! Kind of like rice and beans, without the rice and the cooking (especially helpful on a hot day).


For my Monday lunch, I packed another third of the black beans into a container, put in half an avocado (I planned to dice it in the office right before eating) which had been sprinkled with lemon juice (to help prevent browning), and a small wedge of lemon, which I would use right before eating. I had plenty of salt and pepper packets in the office from various takeout, so I could take care of any additional seasoning at work.

So easy! Fairly light to carry to work, no microwaving necessary, easy to eat and not offensively smelly (I hope - you'll have to confirm with my co-workers). And I still had enough for another lunch! I can see tons of variations too - I wish I had added corn to this particular mix; I could go another direction and add things like roasted zucchini, eggplant, parsley and basil, or use different beans like cannellini or garbanzos. I could also imagine this being yummy with some pita chips or the like, or on some toasted bread.

It also makes eating a cheap can of beans seem positively gourmet.