The Make-Ahead Lunch Recipe You’ll Make Again and Again

Photo by Becca Boyd

I’m pretty sure my body takes an inordinate amount of time to signal my brain that I’m full, so big salads, soups, and slaws are my go-tos for when I’m watching my weight. In fact, this is the type of food that you need to make if you’re trying to lose weight: After all, it’s a whole heck of a lot of chewing for not many calories, tons of protein and lots of filling fiber.

If chopping up a head of cabbage seems an insurmountable task for weeknight cooking, feel free to buy the bag of slaw mix at any grocery store. Just note that you might need two bags for this recipe. Once made, this slaw will keep for two to three days in the fridge but, typical for slaw, the cabbage will let go of some water. Make a batch for a light Sunday dinner and trust me, you’ll be extra excited for your lunch break come Monday afternoon.

Recipe: Chicken, Edamame and Peanut Slaw Salad
Serves 4 to 6

Ingredients
1 small head green cabbage, outer leaves removed, cored and thinly sliced (or use about ¾ of a larger cabbage)
2 carrots, trimmed and thinly sliced into rounds
8 scallions thinly sliced, green and white parts divided
3 tbsp. peanut butter
1 tbsp. tamari or soy sauce
1 tbsp. sriracha
2 tsp. honey
1/3 c. rice vinegar
1 c. frozen edamame
1 tbsp. olive oil
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into thin pieces
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
1/4 tsp. black pepper
1/3 c. roasted peanuts, chopped
Cilantro, optional for serving

Method
1. Mix cabbage, carrot, and green parts of scallions.
2. In a small bowl, whisk peanut butter, tamari (or soy), sriracha, honey, and vinegar until combined. Set aside.
3. Add edamame to a skillet with a bit of water (about 2 tsp). Heat over medium heat until bright green and thawed. Add to cabbage mixture.
4. Add oil to (now empty) pan. Add garlic and white parts of scallions, stir, cooking, about thirty seconds. Add chicken, salt and pepper and saute until cooked through. Add contents of pan to cabbage mixture.
5. Add peanut dressing and peanuts – toss to combine.
6. Serve, topping with torn cilantro, if desired. Will keep, refrigerated, for several days.

Per serving, accounting for 6 servings: 386 calories, 19 fat grams, 527 milligrams sodium, 893 milligrams potassium, 21 grams carbs, 7 grams dietary fiber, 8.3 grams sugar, 34 grams protein.

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Becca Boyd is a wife and mom who creates healthy and delicious recipes in her West Chester kitchen. She blogs about them on her website, Home Beccanomics.

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