My friend Melissa and I have a long running complaint about the state of walkable lunch spots near our office. While the hands down favorite is definitely Brown Sugar Cafe, a girl cannot survive on Masaman Curry alone (as much as we might like to). So for the most part I bring my lunch and once a week venture out to one of the very few places that doesn’t require me to get back on the T. Almost all of these locations are chain restaurants like Bertuccis or TGI Fridays. Sometimes, if I get hard up enough, I’ll just get a Skinny Vanilla Latte and some Fruit & Nut mix from Starbucks and call it a day.

Last week though Melissa talked me into going to Boloco. A place I’ve avoided for years because for some unknown reason I’d convinced myself that it was gross and that I didn’t like burritos (what?!) and no way was I going in there. In hindsight this is all completely ridiculous. The line spilling out the door every day of the week and blocking my Starbucks addicted self from getting around them, would probably cue a sensible person into the fact that this little establishment offered up some fine lunch treats.

So with much suspicion and trepidation I ordered their “Summer Burrito” with Tofu. The “Summer Burrito” consists of black beans, mango salsa, melted cheese, cilantro, and rice, all folded up neatly in a flour tortilla. In the interest of full disclosure my first bite of this purchase was not good. The tofu was shockingly tough and pretty much inedible, but after removing it from the other ingredients (and also hiding it from view–yes it was that unappetizing in appearance) I happily finished the entire thing.

I’ve been on a mango kick recently, and I loved the flavors of the mango and cilantro combo so much that I instantly wanted to recreate the filling at home. Below is my attempt at doing so. I did run into a puzzling incident while I was making this dish. I literally opened five cans of Goya Black Beans and they were all spoiled. Three of the cans were newly purchased. After I vetoed the contents of those (since they were really revolting, sort of sludgy and foamy and very broken) I sent CK out to pick up more at the little store at the end of our street and I kid you not, those cans were bad too. Unfortunately, I had to ask poor CK to get in the car and go to Whole Foods where we at last found cans of black beans that didn’t look like a science experiment in fermentation. Has this happened to anyone else? Was there a huge Goya recall that I missed, because these beans were practically alien life forms living incognito in tin cans.

Anyway, after the bean debacle I finally threw everything together and served the dish with white corn chips. We both really enjoyed it. I hope you will too!

Boloco Summer “Burrito” Knock-Off at Home

Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 onion, diced
1 package of frozen mango, thawed
1/3 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
Juice of one lime
3 cups of cooked rice (replacing water with chicken broth)
1 can of black beans (15.5 oz), rinsed
Sour Cream
Cheddar Cheese
Tortilla chips or burrito shells

Heat the oil in a skillet and saute the onion until softened but not browned. Add the mango and cilantro and cook until heated through.

Meanwhile, in a small saucepan warm the beans over medium heat. Squeeze the limes over the mango and onions. Layer individual bowls with rice, beans, and the onion and mango concoction. Top with grated cheddar and a dollop of sour cream. Serve with tortilla chips, or you can also roll all of the fillings into a burrito shell.

I just ate the craziest thing for lunch. It was a Lean Cuisine Chicken, Mushroom and Spinach Panini and via some magical means (this strange silver coating on the package) it grilled itself in the microwave. Yes those are grill marks in the photo. Thanks iPhone! Equally shocking was that the sandwich actually tasted good and I now feel full even though it only had 280 calories (or possibly 320–my box and the website differ). Obviously some strange voodoo is at work here…

Did you eat Miracle Whip when you were a kid? Because I did. A lot. I vividly recall having a conversation with my doctor at one point about what kind of sandwiches I liked to eat. My cute response of Miracle Whip and Cheese on White Bread really didn’t seem to impress him very much. Whatever. If I was eating something other than Kraft Dinner, my mom was happy. I was beyond picky as a child. We’re talking plain pizza, plain cheeseburgers, no ketchup, and definitely not nasty mayonnaise.

I was actually such a strong defender of Miracle Whip that when I was in college I got into a heated argument with someone I didn’t even know while out sailing with my cousin and some of her friends. This person claimed that mayonnaise and Miracle Whip tasted exactly the same. I begged to differ. Loudly. In my defense I was most likely sleep deprived, dehydrated, and probably drinking at the time so let that be a lesson to you all. Don’t mess with Erin and her food when she’s in a bad mood.

Until a few years ago I still used Miracle Whip in chicken salad, much to the horror of many. But slowly I started to come around and now I’m a proper “grown-up” with proper mayonnaise in my fridge. So when Ina Garten ordered me to use “good mayonnaise” in her Contessa Chicken Salad, I managed not to let her down. I know in food blog land we’re always making sweeping claims that this dish or that bread is “the best thing ever.” I think we’re all pretty much immune to adjectives and “foodie speak” at this point, but at any rate I’m going to implore you to try this recipe. Just once. It’s really very very good and I can definitely see how they used to get away with selling it for the ridiculous amount of $20 a pound at the original Barefoot Contessa Store.

Contessa Chicken Salad (Originally published by Ina Garten)

2 split (1 whole) chicken breasts, bone in, skin on (1 1/2 pounds) (Note: I used boneless, skinless chicken breasts. It’s all good!)
Good olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup pecan halves
1/2 cup walnuts halves
1/2 cup good mayonnaise (Note: I used light mayo)
1/2 cup sour cream (Note: I used light sour cream)
1 tablespoon chopped fresh tarragon leaves, divided
1 cup green grapes, cut in 1/2
Lettuce leaves, for serving (Note: I gave in to temptation and bought some really good bakery made white bread. Mmm…white bread.)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.Place the chicken breasts, skin side up, on a baking sheet and rub them with olive oil. Sprinkle generously with salt and pepper. Roast for 35 to 40 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through. Set aside until cool.

When the chicken is cool, remove meat from the bones and discard the skin and bones. Cut the chicken into a 3/4-inch dice.

Meanwhile, place the pecans and walnuts on a separate sheet pan and toast in the oven for 7 to 8 minutes until golden. Set aside to cool.

For the dressing, mix together the mayonnaise, sour cream, 2 teaspoons salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Fold in half the chopped tarragon leaves.

Place the diced chicken in a bowl, add the pecans, walnuts and grapes. Pour the dressing over the chicken and toss well. Sprinkle the remaining chopped tarragon leaves on top, and serve on a bed of lettuce leaves.

For the most part I try to bring my lunch from home, but on Friday’s I like to go out and leave the office far far behind. After all, a girl can only handle so many Amy’s Frozen Dinners and Lean Cuisines in a week. I tend to take the T to The Pru and meet CK on these days. Lately we’ve been having a lot of lunch dates at PF Changs.

I’d describe PF Changs as the asian Olive Garden. It tastes good, the portions are large, and the wait staff tempts you mercilessly with sinful deserts. Just wait until they wave the Great Wall of Chocolate cake in front of your eyes (all 2200 calories of it). It’s painful to decline, but a necessity since the lunch portion of basic Beef and Broccoli packs a whopping 900 calories (without the rice). I don’t know about you, but if I’m going to consume that many empty calories they better be wine or cheesecake based.

So Asian take-out dishes are a “no no” and will cause much internal grief by forcing you to choose between rice or Happy Hour…not if you make Ellie Krieger’s Fried Rice with Scallions, Edamame and Tofu. You can eat a cup and a half of this dish (if made to exact specifications) and you’ll only consume 400 calories. Plus all of the tofu, brown rice, and vegetables are incredibly filling and I guarantee that you won’t experience post lunch hunger pains (damn you Lean Cuisines!)

Never cooked with, bought, or looked at Tofu before? Well neither had I! Yes, this was my first foray into cooking with Tofu. It honestly couldn’t have been easier, just drain it and slice. I actually used the whole 14 ounce block of Tofu in this recipe (as opposed to the 6 ounces called for). Mostly because I had no idea what I was going to do with half a block of leftover tofu and I hated the thought of it just going to waste; so into the rice it went. And for once I’m looking forward to a non-Friday lunch!

Dice & Slice	Make Rice
Slice the Tofu (Don’t Be Scared)	Heat Garlic, Ginger & Scallions
Add Rice, Veggies & Tofu	Scramble the Eggs
Stir in Soy Sauce	Actual Serving Size

Fried Rice with Scallions, Edamame and Tofu (Originally Published by Ellie Krieger)

1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon canola oil, divided
2 large cloves garlic, minced
4 scallions, greens included, rinsed, trimmed and thinly sliced
1 tablespoon minced ginger
4 cups leftover cooked brown rice
3/4 cup finely diced red pepper
3/4 cup cooked, shelled edamame
1/2 cup fresh or frozen, thawed, corn
6 ounces firm tofu, cut into 1/4-inch cubes
2 eggs, beaten
3 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce

Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a wok or large skillet until very hot. Add the garlic, scallions and ginger and cook, stirring, until softened and aromatic, about 2 to 3 minutes. Add the rice, red pepper, edamame, corn and tofu and cook, stirring, until heated through, about 5 minutes. Make a 3-inch well in the center of the rice mixture. Add 1 teaspoon of canola oil, then add the eggs and cook until nearly fully scrambled. Stir the eggs into the rice mixture, then add soy sauce and incorporate thoroughly. Serve hot.