Up for the match? Five filling lunches and snacks to pack for the road to Croker
Dubln-bound Cork and Clare fans can satisfy hunger en route to the final with these packable recipes
Lunch box quesadillas
Forget the sandwiches, and pack some tasty quesadillas
Servings
1Preparation Time
8 minsCooking Time
4 minsTotal Time
12 minsCourse
MainCuisine
MexicanIngredients
2 corn or flour tortillas
100g Cheddar cheese, grated
1 half of a roasted red pepper, finely chopped – I used jarred Spanish peppers
20g sweetcorn kernels
a small handful parsley, finely chopped – optional
Method
Heat a pan dry without any oil.
Place one of your tortillas onto your work surface and sprinkle it with half of the cheese. Place the other ingredients on top and then add the rest of the cheese. Top this with the remaining tortilla and press down lightly.
Gently slide the tortilla sandwich onto your hot pan. I use a wide fish slice to do this. Allow it to cook in the dry pan for about two minutes on each side or until the cheese has melted. You can press it down slightly with the fish slice as it is cooking to make it more compact.
Remove from the pan and once cool cut into eight wedges, then pop into a lunch box.
Slow cooker chicken tikka sandwich filler
A couple of weeks ago I recommended cooking a whole ham to cut down on the cost of more expensive sliced ham for lunchboxes. Some readers got in touch to ask if I had a suggestion on cooked chicken or turkey for sandwiches.
Servings
8Preparation Time
5 minsCooking Time
3 hours 0 minsTotal Time
3 hours 5 minsCourse
SideCuisine
IndianIngredients
750g fresh chicken fillets
1 tsp salt
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp paprika (use smoked if you like it spicy)
1 tsp garic granules
1 tsp dried oregano
Method
Place the chicken fillets in the bottom of the slow cooker and sprinkle over the herbs and spices. Put the lid on the cooker and cook on a high heat for 2-3 hours. Once cooked, leave the lid on and allow to reach room temperature before slicing or shredding and storing in the fridge or freezer.
For even better value, cook a whole large chicken,(this will give you about 1kg of white and brown meat). Place the whole chicken in the slow cooker, sprinkle the herbs and spices on top and cook on high for 5-6 hours. Allow the chicken to cool completely before removing the meat from the bones. I portion the meat into lunchboxes. Once cooked it’ll keep in the fridge in a sealed lunchbox for up to 3 days. If I’ve prepared enough for a full week I’ll put half into the freezer.
Derval O'Rourke's Three-Bean Salad
...a lovely simple 3 bean salad that is a great packed lunch option
Servings
2Preparation Time
15 minsTotal Time
15 minsCourse
SideIngredients
400g tin of mixed beans, drained and rinsed
80g tin of sweetcorn, drained and rinsed
3 spring onions, finely sliced
1 red pepper, finely chopped
Handful of coriander leaves
For the dressing
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp agave syrup
1 tsp red wine vinegar
Juice of 1 lime
A few drops of Tabasco
¼ tsp chilli flakes
Salt and pepper
Method
Place the beans, sweetcorn, scallions and red pepper in a large serving bowl and mix well.
Place all of the ingredients for the dressing in a jar with a lid and shake to combine.
Pour the dressing over the salad.
Scatter over the coriander leaves and serve.
Blathnaid’s Energy Balls
Special thanks to my highly energetic sister Blathnaid Bergin who shared this recipe with me. A batch of these will keep for several weeks and can be popped into lunch boxes on a whim.
Servings
24Preparation Time
15 minsTotal Time
15 minsCourse
BakingIngredients
280g (9 3/4oz) cocoa butter or chocolate with a high percentage of cocoa (64%)
85g (3 1/4oz) cocoa powder
160g (5 1/2oz) peanut butter, smooth or crunchy
8 tablespoons of honey or 12 tablespoons maple or agave syrup
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
For the filling
260g (9 1/4oz) – use 1 or a mixture of cashews, walnuts, hazelnuts, pecan, roughly chopped
60g (2 1/2oz) raisins or dried raspberries
100g (3 1/2oz) dried apricots, preferably unsulphered, roughly chopped
40g (1 1/2oz) Medjool dates, roughly chopped
100g (3 1/2oz) dried figs, finely chopped
pinch of salt
1 x loaf tin – 24cm (9 1/2 inch) lined with parchment paper
Method
Half fill a large saucepan with cold water, bring to the boil and turn it off. Melt the cocoa butter or chocolate in a bowl over the simmering water, stirring every now and then. Add the cocoa powder, peanut butter, honey (or maple or agave syrup), vanilla extract and mix well.
Add the chopped nuts and fruit mixture to the melted cocoa butter and stir well. Pour immediately into the prepared tin. Allow to set in a cool place and chill in the fridge. Cut into squares or roll into balls.
If you like you can roll the balls in a little desiccated coconut.
Store in an airtight box in the fridge.
Powerhouse Chocolate and Coconut Flapjacks
A great snack post-exercise
Servings
16Preparation Time
30 minsTotal Time
30 minsCourse
BakingCuisine
IrishIngredients
- 50g dried apricots
50g dried mango
100g pumpkin seeds
50g desiccated coconut
70g chia seeds
100g walnuts
100g pitted dates
50g goji berries
1 tsp vanilla extract
70g coconut oil
200g 70% dark chocolate
Method
- Finely chop the dried apricot and mango. Put them into your food processor with the pumpkin seeds, desiccated coconut, goji berries, chia seeds, walnuts, dates and vanilla extract and pulse until the nuts and seeds are well broken up but still have some texture to them. Pour the mixture into a large bowl.
Melt the coconut oil and add to the mixture, stirring well.
Now melt the chocolate in a bowl over boiling water and add to the mixture stirring vigorously so that it is well mixed through before it hardens.
Line a flapjack tray with baking parchment and spread the mixture evenly.
Put into the fridge and leave for at least 20 minutes to set. Once well cooled, chop into 4 by 4 pieces to make 16 flapjack bars. Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week.
