The possibilities for incorporating tea into your healthy lunch are endless, but we can touch on a few fun possibilities right now.
Do you enjoy a good salad for lunch? Try using a tea infused vinegar in the dressing that accompanies that salad. How about finishing that salad with some slices of seared ‘tea and spice encrusted tuna’ or a handful of tea spiced pecans? What about a Darjeeling poached chicken breast or Tung Ting poached shrimp. Hmm, I’m getting hungry just typing this. A few slices of tea cured salmon left from breakfast would be wonderful on your salad, or built into a club sandwich. Use a citrus and matcha mayo to dress up a turkey sandwich or a BLT. Of course if you are planning ahead you can even roast your own turkey breast after brining it with an Oolong and cranberry brine.
If you decide to tea poach those chicken breasts or brine and roast that turkey breast, they are fabulous when diced and tossed with a little seasoned light mayo, chopped celery, onions (or scallions), fresh herbs, or perhaps combine with light mayo, light sour cream, sliced grapes and lightly toasted walnuts. Alternatively, toss with fresh berries, spinach or arugula, some radish slices and crumbled goat or blue cheese. Those tea spiced pecans would be a nice addition here as well.
In late summer and fall we have incredible tomatoes available. A tomato and mozzarella salad is always a good choice finished with some fresh basil, red tomato and your tea infused vinaigrette. Some fresh ground black pepper and matcha salt are the perfect accent.
Sandwiches and wraps can be chock full of healthful and flavorful treats. Do you ever stop for a Gyro and wish you could easily have one at home? I saw a wonderful recipe for home Gyro’s made by Alton Brown and was inspired to make a tea variation using his technique. It takes preplanning, but once you have created your Gyro meat, it will hold for several days allowing you to share your Gyros with many friends and family. Classic Gyros are finished over a rotisserie grill, so we are using some ground Lapsang Souchong tea to bring that wonderful earthy smokiness to our meat. Slices will enhance a salad, but it is ever so tempting when served with feta and accompaniments as a traditional pita sandwich.
Smoky Gyro
Use your favorite combination of 2 lbs ground meat. Lamb and beef are the most traditional, but I enjoy a blend of lamb, veal and beef. Pork is also a good choice.
Yield: roughly 8 servings
1 lb ground lamb
.5 lb ground veal
.5 lb ground beef
3 tablespoons fresh oregano, chopped (or 1 teaspoon dried)
1 tablespoon fresh marjoram, chopped ( or .5 teaspoon dried)
1 tablespoon fresh rosemary, chopped (or .5 teaspoon dried)
4 teaspoons kosher salt
1.5 tablespoons finely ground Lapsong Souchong tea
4 cloves of garlic, minced
1 medium red onion, peeled and quartered
1 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
4 ounces of bacon, cut in 1 inch pieces (optional)
Combine ground meat, salt, pepper, oregano, rosemary, marjoram and ground tea in a bowl. Mix well with hands until evenly combined. Cover and refrigerate for 2 hours or up to overnight.
When ready to continue, place onions and bacon into a food processor and process until chopped, and the chilled meat mixture and garlic. Process until smooth, about 1 minute, scraping down with a rubber spatula periodically.
Line rimmed baking sheet with foil. Form meat mixture into a rectangle about 1.5 inches high. Bake in the center of a 300 F oven until 160 F internal temperature, around 45 minutes. Allow to rest at least 20 minutes at room temperature, or refrigerate for up to 1 week.
When ready to serve, slice into ¼ to 1/8 inch thick slices and lay out onto a foil lined rimmed baking sheet. Broil until edges are crisp and golden brown. Serve in pita sandwiches with Matcha Tzatziki Sauce, red onion, lettuce, tomato and crumbled feta cheese.
Matcha Tzatziki Sauce
This variation on the Greek Classic makes a wonderful dip for crudites as well.
Yield:
2 cups plain Greek Yogurt
1 medium cucumber, peeled, seeded and finely chopped
1 teaspoon kosher salt
2 tablespoons chopped parsley, mint, dill or basil
2 teaspoons Matcha
1 tablespoon fresh squeezed lemon or lime juice
1 clove finely minced garlic
2 teaspoons olive oil
freshly ground pepper and salt to taste
Place cucumbers in a colander and sprinkle with salt. Let sit for 30 minutes or more to draw out the water. Squeeze out the excess water with a paper towel or clean tea cloth. Transfer the cucumbers to a food processor with garlic, lemon juice, matcha, olive oil and your chosen herbs. Process until almost smooth and stir into the yogurt. Stir well and add additional salt and pepper to taste. Cover and chill for a few hours before using.
