Weekends exist for that, to sleep, relax and not spend a lot of time on a routine. But no one canceled delicious family dinners. Therefore, fresh ideas for easy-to-cook dishes will come in handy.

 

What are the best fast lunch ideas to try?

 

Lunch is a meal that some very busy people neglect. Other people make a fuss if they don't get a delicious meal. The dinner recipes that we have collected for you will seduce the former and appease the latter.

 

Easy Chicken Salad

 

A step-by-step recipe with a photo of cooking chicken salad in a fragrant dressing at home. The soy-lemon dressing adds a special piquancy to the dish, which favorably emphasizes the taste of the dish. Of course, the salad can be dressed with ordinary mayonnaise, sour cream or even sunflower oil. However, using the proposed sauce, you will bring new fresh notes. Moreover, such a sauce is universal, it can be seasoned with almost any salad, and familiar dishes that have become boring for a long time will sparkle with a new interesting taste.

 

Ingredients for preparing a tender chicken salad in a fragrant dressing:

 

• Boiled chicken fillet - 1 pc.
• Processed cheese - 100 g
• Eggs - 1 pc.
• Cucumbers - 1 pc.
• Green onions - 5-7 sprigs
• Mustard grain or pasty - 0.5 tsp.
• Soy sauce - 2 tbsp. l.
• Vegetable oil - 3 tbsp. l.

 

Recipe preparation:

 

Wash green onions, dry and chop finely. Wash cucumbers, dry and cut into cubes with sides of 0.5 mm. Boil eggs. Cool, peel and cut into cubes the size of cucumbers. Cut the melted cheese into cubes of the same size as all the products. Boil the chicken in salted water and set aside. Then cut into pieces or tear along the fibers. Combine all foods in one bowl. In a small bowl, mix the mustard, soy sauce with vegetable oil and season the ingredients. Toss the chicken salad in the soy-lemon dressing, chill and serve.

 

The Quinoa, Avocado, and Cherry Tomato Salad

The Quinoa, Avocado and Cherry Tomato Salad recipe is presented in the Salads category, and it will take you no more than 15 minutes to prepare this dish. To make this dish at home according to the recipe from the author Evtushenko, you will need: quinoa, ripe avocado, cherry tomatoes, quail eggs, a handful of salad mix, half a bunch of parsley, lemon juice, olive oil, dry Italian herbs, a mixture of ground peppers, salt.

 

Ingredients:

 

• 150 gr. kinoa1 pc.
• ripe avocado 250 kg.
• cherry tomatoes 6-8 pcs.
• quail eggs 3 pcs.
• salad mix to taste
• half a bunch of parsley
• 1-2 tbsp. l. lemon juice
• 2-3 tbsp. l. olive oil
• 1/2 tsp dried Italian herbs to taste
• ground pepper mix
• salt to taste

 

Recipe preparation:

 

Rinse the quinoa with cold water (to remove possible bitterness), add water and simmer for 15 minutes. Salt at the end. Cut the avocado into small cubes, and cherry tomatoes in half. Boil the sawn eggs, you can leave the yolk slightly watery, it will be even tastier. Cut in half. Let's prepare the dressing. Chop the parsley very finely, add olive oil, lemon juice, salt, pepper and Italian dry herbs to it. Add the dressing to the cooked and cooled quinoa, mix. Now add avocado, tomatoes and salad mixture, mix and taste for salt. Add if necessary. We spread the salad on plates, lay the quail eggs on top.

 

Cauliflower Rice

Cauliflower rice is just a godsend for those who follow a healthy diet. Similar in appearance to rice or couscous, this vegetable side dish is much healthier, lower in calories, carbohydrates, and sugars, and higher in fiber. It goes perfectly with meat dishes, and in itself it turns out very tasty if you mix it with herbs and roasted almonds. In addition, cauliflower rice is a great way to introduce a healthy vegetable into the diet of children who, to put it mildly, do not favor it. Mix it in half with regular boiled rice and serve as a side dish. Little picky people are unlikely to notice that not all the rice in the plate is real.

 

Ingredients for the recipe:

 

2 small cauliflowers, broken into florets, strong stems discarded (about 8 cups florets)

3 art. l. olive oil

1 bunch green onions, chopped, white and green parts separated

1/4 st. chopped almonds

1/4 st. chopped parsley

 

Recipe preparation:

 

Pulse the cauliflower in the bowl of a food processor until coarse crumbs are about the size of a grain of rice (see note). It should turn out 6 - 7 tbsp. cauliflower rice. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over moderately high heat. Stir in the white parts of the onion and fry until lightly golden, about 2 minutes. Add cauliflower, 1 tsp. salt and a little black pepper. Stir to coat cabbage completely with oil. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until cabbage is tender but still crumbly, 6 to 7 minutes. Meanwhile, toast the almonds in a small skillet over moderate heat, stirring constantly, until golden brown, about 3 minutes. Remove the cauliflower from the heat and stir in the green onions, parsley and toasted almonds. Transfer to a large bowl and serve. 

 

Arugula, Tuna, and Avocado Salad

Easy, beautiful salad of tuna, avocado, tomatoes and arugula recipe. Ideal for a festive table, as a light snack. In general, this is a Spanish salad called "Timbal". It looks beautiful, it cooks very quickly (you don’t need to cook or prepare anything in advance), and most importantly, it’s tasty and healthy! Save quickly so you don't forget!

 

Ingredients

 

Avocado (large) - 1 or 1.5 pcs.

Cherry tomatoes (the sweetest) - 10 pcs.

Canned tuna in oil - 1 can (170g)

Arugula - 1 bunch

Garlic - 1 clove

Lemon juice - 1-1.5 tsp

Olive oil - 1 tsp

Sea salt - to taste

Black pepper - to taste

 

How to cook tuna, avocado, tomato and arugula salad recipe step by step:

 

We cut the avocado in half, remove the stone, take out the pulp with a spoon and knead it with a fork / spoon in mashed potatoes. Add lemon juice, olive oil, crushed garlic clove. Salt, pepper and mix. ⠀ Cherry tomatoes cut into small cubes (you can also take ordinary large tomatoes, but they are less sweet and you will need to peel them, remove the hard core, seeds and drain the juice). We transfer the tuna to a plate and drain most of the oil (so that the salad does not float during assembly) and knead a little with a fork. I collected the salad in a serving ring, but it can also be served in portioned cups, here, as you like. Put a layer of mashed avocado on a dish, then spread a layer of cherry tomatoes, and on top - tuna. We take off the ring. Decorate with arugula leaves. ⠀

 

Black Bean and Corn Quesadilla

Quesadillas are especially popular in the southwestern United States. Here it is cooked like the traditional Mexican version, only sometimes local ingredients may be included. This recipe has a lot of vegetables and no meat. However, if desired, you can add, for example, cooked chicken. Sour cream sauce only enhances the pleasure of an already tasty quesadilla, which definitely cannot be called bland. If the dish seems too spicy, reduce the amount of dried red pepper. In any case, by preparing such a quesadilla, you can arrange a real feast for the taste buds.

 

Ingredients for the recipe:

 

Quesadilla

4 wheat tortillas with a diameter of 25 cm.

• 450 gr. black beans with spices, mashed
• 2 tbsp. l. olive oil, extra for grilling 1 small red bell pepper, diced
• 1/2 red onion, diced
• 3/4 st. corn kernels (about 1 ear)
• 2 tsp crushed dried red pepper
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1/2 st. chopped cilantro leaves
• 1 st. grated cheese

 

Sour cream with lime and cilantro

• 1/2 st. sour cream
• 1/4 st. chopped cilantro leaves
• Juice from 1/2 lime
• A pinch of salt

 

Recipe preparation:

 

Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Saute bell peppers and onion until soft, about 5 minutes. Add corn, dried red pepper flakes, cumin, salt and pepper to taste. Stir and sauté for 3 minutes. Move everything to a bowl and add cilantro. Heat a 2-burner long cast-iron grill or large skillet over medium heat. Lay 2 tortillas on a work surface and evenly coat them with the roasted black bean paste. Place the tortillas on the griddle, buttered side up (if using a saute pan, place one tortilla first). Cover evenly with the onion and pepper mixture, then sprinkle with cheese. Top with another tortilla, spread with black bean paste, and cook until cheese is melted, about 4 minutes. Turn the quesadillas over to fry them on the other side. Cut each into 8 triangles, sprinkle with cilantro and serve with sour cream sauce.