WITH WARMER TEMPERATURES outside, we naturally crave lighter fare at lunchtime, but it’s still important to eat cleverly enough to fuel you for the remainder of the day.

Lean chicken, pulses and veggies are all great sources of protein and complex carbohydrates, meaning they’ll leave you feeling satisfied but not stuffed – because nobody wants to sit at their desk nursing an over-full stomach for the rest of the day.

Below are three lunchtime recipes courtesy of the crew at Eden Bar & Grill on Dublin’s South William St, who know what’s what when it comes to protein-packed, vibrant and tasty food.

1. Zesty Quinoa Salad With Tahini And Lime

Eden Bar & Grill / Instagram Eden Bar & Grill / Instagram / Instagram

Makes: 2 portions

Ingredients

• 120g quinoa, cooked
• 1/2 tsp ground cumin
• 30g pumpkin seeds, toasted in a dry pan
• 2 spring onions, finely sliced
• Large handful green beans and peas
• 1/2 green chilli, de-seeded and finely chopped
• 50g baby spinach

For dressing

• Few sprigs fresh mint
• 50g fresh basil
• 1.5 tbsp tahini
• Juice of 1/2 lime
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• Sea salt, ground black pepper

Method

1. Fluff up cooked quinoa with a fork and add cumin. Leave to cool.
2. Steam beans and peas and leave to cool.
3. In a food processor, blitz together all the dressing ingredients until well combined.
4. To assemble, add the spinach, spring onions, beans, peas, chilli and toasted seeds to the quinoa and mix together. Drizzle with dressing and gently stir to combine.
5. For an extra protein hit, top with roasted, sliced chicken.

2. Basil Pesto Chicken Courgetti

Eden Bar & Grill / Instagram Eden Bar & Grill / Instagram / Instagram

Makes: 2 portions

Ingredients

• 2 chicken breasts
• 4 courgettes
• Small handful fresh basil leaves, to serve
• 1 tsp coconut oil

For pesto

• 25g pine nuts
• Large bunch fresh basil, stems removed
• 1 clove garlic, peeled and roughly chopped
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• Juice of 1/2 lemon
• Pinch sea salt

Method

1. Pre-heat oven to 200C/400F/Gas mark 6. Place chicken breasts on a roasting dish, coat with oil, season and cook for 20 minutes.
2. While chicken is cooking, blitz all the pesto ingredients in a food processor.
3. Spiralise the raw courgette (if you don’t have a spiralizer, use a vegetable peeler or grater) and heat in a large pot with some coconut oil until soft. Drain excess liquid.
4. Chop cooked chicken breasts into thick slices. Mix with pesto and courgetti. Divide into two portions and serve garnished with fresh basil.

3. Roasted Vegetable Salad With Lemony Spiced Quinoa

Eden Bar & Grill / Instagram Eden Bar & Grill / Instagram / Instagram

Makes: 2 portions

Ingredients

• 120g quinoa, cooked
• 2 chicken breasts
• 2 sweet potatoes, 1 red pepper, 1 courgette, all cut into 1-inch chunks
• 1 red onion, peeled and cut into quarters
• 2 cloves garlic, unpeeled
• Zest and juice of 1 lemon
• Olive oil
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• 1 tbsp Madras curry powder
• Large bunch flat leaf parsley, chopped
• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method

1. Pre-heat oven to 200C/400F/Gas mark 6.
2. Drizzle chopped sweet potatoes and veg with oil and season with salt and pepper. Roast for 35-40 mins.
3. Sprinkle chicken breasts with paprika, coat with olive oil and season. Place on a roasting dish with unpeeled garlic cloves. Roast for 20 minutes.
4. To make dressing, mix lemon juice and zest with curry powder and olive oil and stir. Add peeled, roasted garlic cloves to dressing. Mash with a fork to combine.
5. Place cooked quinoa in a large bowl and add the roasted veg, cooked and sliced chicken, and chopped parsley.
6. Pour dressing over and stir to combine.

Eden Bar and Grill, Dublin edenbarandgrill edenbarandgrill

All three of these meals appear on Eden’s summer menu, served every weekday from 12pm – 4pm at No 7 South William St. Eden offers succulent meats and fish, vegan options and healthy salads – plus dinner and weekend brunch too. Dine al fresco on the heated terrace or sit indoors surrounded by art from Irish talents like Kathy Tynan, Robert Armstrong and Leah Hewson. Check out Eden’s website for menus and special offers.