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Lunch

In this collection you will find all of my favorite lunch recipes including this vegan “tuna” salad recipe, made with chickpeas, these sweet potato and black bean burritos, and this one-pot favorite lentil soup recipe.

A bowl of fresh corn polenta with blistered cherry tomatoes.

Fresh Corn Polenta with Blistered Tomatoes

Prosciutto, Endive & Shaved Manchego Salad with Tarragon-Shallot Vinaigrette

The custard, a ratio of 1 cup crème fraîche to 1 cup whole milk to 5 eggs, makes Tartine's Swiss chard quiche so fabulous. It's smooth with a slight tang and utterly delicious. // alexandracooks.com

Tartine’s Quiche

Raw bok choy salad.

Bok Choy Salad with Sesame-Almond Crunch

I make crustless quiche nearly once a week, always with uncooked greens, always with fresh thyme, always with crème fraîche, always following the Tartine recipe. Without a crust in the equation, this sort of quiche is effortless to whip up for a weeknight dinner. // alexandracooks.com

Crustless Quiche Loaded with Kale

This sandwich bread can be made entirely with whole wheat flour, but I like using a mix of all-purpose and whole wheat flours, which produce a soft, light, and sturdy loaf, one that appeals, most importantly, to both toddlers and adults alike. // alexandracooks.com

Walter Sands’ Soft Sandwich Bread

A bowl of tomato soup.

Super Easy Pantry Tomato Soup

In this kale Cesar salad, the dressing is light and lemony and the kale itself is extremely soft and tender. It's also vegan, the dressing made with vegannaise and vegan Worcestershire. The combination of curly kale, massaged till tender, quick-pickled onions, and toasted pumpkin seeds, which add so much texture and flavor, is so good. I think this is one you have to taste to believe. // alexandracooks.com

Honest Weight’s Vegan Kale Caesar Salad

A nectarine pizza cut into slices.

Nectarine Pizza with Fresh Basil and Reduced Balsamic

A roasted butternut squash and crispy sage pizza on a board.

Pizza with Roasted Butternut Squash and Crispy Sage

Charred eggplant produces a creaminess without the help of oil, and the charring moreover imparts such a nice smokiness to the eggplant's flesh. Some sort of flatbread or grilled bread is a must with each of these preparations, and if you happen to have some za'atar in your pantry, the aromatic spice mixture complements the eggplant so nicely. // alexandracooks.com

Burnt Eggplant with Za’atar Flatbread

Bowls of butternut squash and cider soup aside herbed flatbreads.

Butternut Squash and Apple Cider Soup

It's dishes such as this that make me understand (almost) how people can be vegetarian. In In this slow-cooked kale, kale is blanched first, roughly chopped and then sautéed over low heat for thirty minutes in olive oil with onions, garlic, rosemary and chile de árbol. It's almost black and slightly crispy when finished. It is sweet and addictive. // alexandracooks.com

Suzanne Goin’s Slow-Cooked Kale ( & Stuffing)

Overhead shot of halved sweet potato and black bean burrito.

Sweet Potato and Black Bean Burritos

Soup season has officially arrived, bringing with it bowls of warm, comforting goodness, smells that permeate the house, the nourishment we crave on chilly days, and blisters to our little, out-of-practice fingers. This parsnip pear soup is perfect for this time of year. // alexandracooks.com

Creamy Parsnip and Pear Soup

Leftover Grain Bowl with Teriyaki Sauce, Quick-Pickled Carrots & Daikon and Soft-Boiled Eggs

Kimchi fried rice in a bowl.

Vegan Kimchi Fried Rice

There is something so good about this simple quesadilla, about tasting each element — the smoky peppers and sweet onions, the bright cilantro, the creamy, melty Jack. As with pizza, less is more with quesadillas — a thin layer of ingredients is best. Before serving, I love stretching open the cheese-locked layers and dropping in spoonfuls of sour cream. // alexandracooks.com

Roasted Poblano & Monterey Jack Quesadilla

A bowl of white bean and escarole and sausage soup.

White Bean, Escarole & Sausage Soup

When it's too hot to cook, turn off the oven. Nothing could be more refreshing than this cool summery soup — green grape and cucumber gazpacho — and spicy-sweet-crunchy salad: quinoa with mango, lime and ginger. // alexandracooks.com

Cucumber & Green Grape Gazpacho | Quinoa Salad with Mango, Lime & Ginger

This pomegranate salad recipe comes from the book Turquoise by Greg and Lucy Malouf, which my aunt introduced to the family last winter when she served this stunning salad at a dinner party. The myriad textures and sweet-salty-hot dressing make this salad irresistible. // alexandracooks.com

Green Olive, Walnut & Pomegranate Salad; Thanksgiving Day Recap

Next time you are invited to a potluck picnic, volunteer to make sandwiches. And then make these roasted red pepper and arugula sandwiches on homemade focaccia. You will be loved forever. I promise. // alexandracooks.com

Homemade Focaccia + Roasted Red Pepper & Arugula Sandwiches

A freshly baked savory galette with corn, tomatoes, and gruyere.

Savory Galette with Tomato, Corn, Caramelized Onions & Gruyère

soba noodles with peanut dressing

Soba Noodle Salad with Peanut Dressing