Reversible Lunch: It’s a Slaw/It’s a Casserole

Most of the time, I enjoy puttering in the kitchen. But there are those days, ya know? Those days when I just need food. It doesn’t have to be special, it just needs to keep me going from workout to work to home. On those days, I’m not inspired. And I don’t feel like a lot of chopping and sautéeing and seasoning. I just need healthy dino-chow that can be packed and transported to the corporate overlords’ lair.

On those days, if I discover something that’s a) REAL food; b) easy to make; and c) delicious, it’s a keeper, and I’ll pack it for lunch until I grow bored with it. This sometimes takes weeks.

Yesterday, I was in a big rush. I found the following in the refrigerator:

• chopped raw cabbage that I’d meant to sauté but hadn’t yet
• grilled chicken breasts
• tahini dressing

I was feeling especially lazy, so I threw two cups of cabbage in a container, topped it with some diced grilled chicken, drizzled it with olive oil, and hoped for the best. In a last-ditch effort for flavor, I grabbed some tahini sauce to throw over it at lunch time. It should be like middle eastern slaw, I thought, bravely trying to make the best of it.

I have to admit, I wasn’t looking forward to it when noon rolled around. But I tossed it all together, and you know what? It was Good.

Lunch was not the dull disaster I anticipated. It was tasty! Healthy! Crispy! Flavorful!

So I packed the same thing today.

But at noon… sigh… I looked out the window, and it was gloomy, and I wanted something warm and comforting.

So I tossed the container of cabbage + chicken + olive oil in the microwave for three minutes (literally, I threw it into the microwave, like I was kind of disgusted with it), then I drizzled the tahini dressing over the whole pile and to my surprise… voila! creamy casserole.

Like magic.

So there you go: a Tuesday lunch two-fer. Feel free to steal this idea. And if you do, post to comments and let me know if a) you liked it and b) if you improved upon it in any way.