We try to bring lunch during the week to save money and to eat healthier. I have also been trying to enforce a fish 2x a week for lunch rule. Eh, most times it’s more like once a week, but we’re trying! Sometimes this means tuna, not the ( good awesome kind) and sometimes that means other things.

This is my new favorite other thing and I think jwa like it a lot too. That is no small feat. He is very skeptical of fish (especially fish tagged with Cheap Fish Project, which this is — $5/lb, frozen, at Trader Joe’s).

I’ve also discovered a new, fun thing to do with orzo — toast it in the pan with olive oil before cooking it with the boiling water. It gives it a nutty taste that is quite delicious!

This is also easy to whip up the night before specifically to bring to work the next day.

Orange-Rosemary Grilled Mahi Mahi
Marinade:
1 tbsp orange zest
2 tsp chopped fresh rosemary
2 garlic cloves, minced
Juice of half an orange
3 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp white wine vinegar

Fish:
1 lb mahi mahi, cut into bite-sized cubes
salt & pepper
juice from the other half of the orange
a little more olive oil

Everything Else:
3/4 cup orzo
1/4 tsp chopped rosemary
1 tbsp olive oil

6 cherry tomatoes, halved
4-5 artichoke hearts, halved
6 green olives, halved

Whisk all the marinade ingredients (orange zest through vinegar) together in a bowl or a freezer bag. Add the fish and marinate in the fridge for about 1-2 hours.

Heat a grill pan (or a regular skillet) and just drizzle a little of olive oil in the pan. Hit the fish with a little salt and pepper and cook until just barely opaque — about 2-3 minutes per side. After you turn the fish over the first time, add the artichoke hearts and the cherry tomatoes to the pan while you cook the other side of the fish. When it’s done, remove everything from the pan and set it aside in a bowl. I squeeze the other half of the orange on the fish, artichoke hearts and tomatoes and cover it up with aluminum foil.

Heat the other tablespoon of oil in a small pot and add the orzo and rosemary. Toast for a minute or two, then add some water and bring to a boil. Add some salt. Cook until done, about 8-10 minutes. Drain.

Assemblage
Divide the orzo among your plates (or containers). Then add the tomato/fish/artichoke heart/OJ mixture and the olive halves. Top with a few crumbles of feta, if you are feeling fancy and perhaps a drizzle of olive oil.

If you’re bringing this for lunch the next day, it keeps and travels very well and people will see your lunch and get all jealous. Ha!

Just give it about 1.5 minutes in the microwave (on full power) to reheat.

Not a lunch cart but it’s lunch, alright!

Veganopolis Cafeteria
412 SW Fourth Avenue
Portland, Oregon 97204
503-226-3400

Soup of the Day
Green Split Pea Soup with Carrots, Potatoes, Vegan Bacon and Wasabi. Adaptation of a recipe by the great chef Jacques Pepin.

Bowl with Grilled Baguette $4.50
Solo Cup with Crackers $2.50
Discount Cup alongside Your Sandwich Order $1.95

***

Special Sandwich Today
Spanish Style Vegan Chikn Sandwich with Marinated Chikn Nuggets, Roasted Red Peppers, Spinach, Kalamata Olives and Vegan Saffron Garlic Aioli on Special Grilled Bianca Roll.
Sandwich Comes with Your Choice of Kettle Chips or Slaw for $6.95

This is what I had the last time I got lunch from Veganopolis. How fitting that it is also the special today, November 2, when I’m posting this. Coincidence? I think not. Okay, maybe it is a coincidence.

Veganopolis is about three blocks from my office, so it’s pretty convenient. I just call it in and pick it up. The interior is very nice though, so it also seems like it would be a good place to bring your laptop and hang out (they have free wifi). Stark and minimal with shiny bamboo floors.

Oh, yeah and I should probably mention (if the name of the place didn’t tip you off), that it’s all vegan.

I would probably go there more often but it’s a little expensive. My first experience was a bit underwhelming (I can’t even remember what the soup/sandwich was) but I tell you, this is the daily special to get. The split pea soup soup is hot and chunky with potatoes and carrots and perfect for cold Fall weather and the sandwich is just…awesome. At $8.90 ($8.55 if you don’t get chips with your sandwich too) the sandwich/soup combo is a little high but I think it’s worth for an occasional splurge on a tasty, healthy lunch — especially the split pea soup and Spanish style chikn!

They also have a buffet special each day (today it’s Louisiana Tofu Etouffee, Cajun Dirty Rice and Fresh Organic Local Brussels Sprouts for $6.95/pound), and a Potatoes of the Day item for $2.95 a bowl. But my experience (so far) has been limited to the soup and sandwich.

Speaking of which — if they made the cup of soup/sandwich of the day a better bargain price — say $7.00 - $7.50 for both, I’d go there much more often. Are you listening, er…reading, Veganopolis?

Hmmmm???

Lemongrass Chicken

Thai Basil
Corner of SW Oak & 2nd Ave
Portland, OR
503-330-1010

Well, as I’ve mentioned before, I have a new job downtown and one of the nice benefits of that is the lunch choices. My last position was up on Skyline and my lunch option was…Pizzicato. I mean, that was good, but that was it. That was the only choice nearby.

But now…the possibilities are endless! So, I thought I would start a little review of lunch carts in downtown Portland. The first is Thai Basil, which is right across the street from my office building. How convenient!

Thai Basil Menu
Chicken or Tofu Curry — a red curry, green curry and a yellow curry
Chicken or Tofu Stir Fries — ginger, garlic, veggie lovers, spicy basil and cashew versions
Chicken or Tofu Noodle Dishes — pad thai and two other varieties
Chicken or Tofu Fried Rices — comes in pineapple, spicy basil and with extra chilis

They also have specials. These include Lemongrass Chicken, Pumpkin Curry with Chicken or Tofu, Spicy Mango Curry and Stir Fried Asparagus with Chicken or Tofu.

All of these menu items come with a salad roll and dipping sauce, and a drink (Thai ice tea or water) for $5.00. Oh and a weird little wrapped candy that I’m not crazy about (tastes like lemony caramel).

Yeah, all of this for $5.00!

I have had the pumpkin curry with chicken (excellent and spicy) and I just recently tried the lemongrass chicken, which is my favorite so far. The lemon grass gives it a subtle, Thai-ish flavor and it comes with a spicy peanut sauce, chili sauce and a heavy, molassesy soy sauce. So, so good. I was in dipping heaven. The vegetables with this dish include carrots, broccoli and bok choy (I think or maye some kind of cabbage).

Another nice thing about Thai Basil is that the portions are huge! I spend $5.00 and I have lunch that day, take my leftovers home add some coconut milk (in the case of my leftover pumpkin curry — that one I even had enough to split it with jwa and we both had some) and have a lunch to bring back to work a day or two later.

Chicken Pumpkin Curry

Thai Basil gets 3.3 bowls of rice out of 4.

Coming soon in the “What’s For Lunch?” series: a selection of lunch carts on SW 5th Avenue. Also, here’s a neat little lunch cart map of downtown Portland by Audrey.

***

Je Mange la Ville is going on vacation next week. I’ll get my SHF post up next Friday but that’s probably about it, as we’ll be in Montana most of the week, celebrating my mom’s birthday.

I bought a few of these a week ago and brought them into work for a quick lunch as needed. Right now, I’m eating the Honey Mustard Chicken one with Wild Rice and dirty tasting spinach. It’s watery, weird tasting and not very cuisine-ish. What was I thinking? Leanness aside, it’s still probably filled with more salt and preservatives than I will eat all week.

*sigh*

I think I have spoiled myself.

Last night I sautéed some zucchini, spinach, garlic and onions in a little olive oil. Added some red pepper flakes and prepared some chicken pierogi from Trader Joes (in boiling water, much like pasta). Then I pan fried those in the leftover seasoned oil from the veggies. Tossed everything together with a little chicken stock, a chopped tomato, salt & pepper, all ready to bring for lunch today. It’s actually really, really good. A healthy, sensible lunch — even with the grated parmesan cheese on top.

I forgot the cheese. Well, hell. Now it really is healthy.

So what did I do? I left it sitting in the fridge at work (will bring cheese on Friday! I will write myself a note and everything!) and I went to Baja Fresh. Baja Fresh, who are evil enough to put the nutritional value of their food online. Me, who is stupid enough to have looked at it. Damn you, Morgan Spurlock!

I even looked at the numbers again today, trying to talk myself out of it. The only thing I can ever justify getting there is the Grilled Veggie Burrito and even that is a tough sell. I’m not even super-super enamoured of Baja Fresh. It’s no Una Mas/Pepino’s. But I was totally in a burrito mood and not in a cheese-less pierogi & veggies mood.

All I can say after this insensible act is that I think they forgot to put the cheese on my burrito. Or it melted. And I didn’t enjoy it at all. Except, by that, I mean I did — just a little. There will be extra laps around the duck pond this afternoon, to be sure.