Muffuletta Salad

The only slightly healthier version of a New Orleans favorite, the Muffuletta.  Yes, we probably put way more salami in this than was good for us, and I have no excuses except to say that Michael was in charge of this one.  (Ladies, if all else fails, blame the husband!)  The very positive side of this is that Michael was also in charge of making the olive salad that basically dressed this dish.  He dug into his massive store of pickled this and thats until he came up with something quite extraordinary.  Green olives, roasted red peppers, pickled garlic, capers, and banana peppers were all efficiently chopped and tossed with a drizzle of olive oil and just a teensy shake of red wine vinegar.  A handy jar of artichoke hearts also made an appearance.  He threw these things and some sliced salami and ham onto a bed of iceberg lettuce, tossed briefly and voila!  It was a quick but fun lunch with loads of flavor and very little need of additional seasoning due to the bold flavors of the olives.  Nice job, Michael!  I'll gladly carry the extra salami around on my hips until that moment when I've burned the calories off in a crazed session at the gym.

Lentil Tomato Soup with Fried Halloumi

This was a quick lunch using red lentils and half an aseptic pack of Pacific natural foods organic creamy tomato soup.  I also happened to have a jar of fire roasted red peppers in the fridge, so I chopped one of those up and threw it in.  Red lentils take about 10 minutes to cook through completely.  I threw a giant clove of garlic in while the lentils boiled and mashed it in with the back of my spoon.  Once the lentils were ready, I poured in the tomato soup, a 1/2 cup of chicken broth, and the chopped red pepper.  After administering a bit of oregano, salt and pepper, I fried up some cubes of halloumi.  I wish I'd gotten a picture of the process because I think most people don't believe you can fry cheese until they see it.  Halloumi is a stringy/spongy sheep's milk cheese that turns a lovely golden brown when fried in a simple non-stick pan (no oil necessary).  Think decadent croutons.

This was a satisfying lunch that contained very little carbohydrate and loads of flavor.  Lentils and legumes in general can be found on most "superfoods" lists.  Tomatoes and peppers are usually in the top ten as well.  I think this lunch made my Mr. Superfood happy today.