Sunday Lunch Menu, Ideas
In today’s world, most of us lead hectic lives, due to our professional, academic or household demands. As such, many of us do not even have the opportunity to grab a proper and wholesome meal. Hence, fast food, takeaway dinners and instant meals have become a regular part of our day to day lives. However, most people try to make up for all the health, nutrition, family time that they missed out, by eating a wholesome Sunday lunch. In fact, in several countries, Sunday lunches are regarded as an important part of the culture, as they give people the opportunity to meet with their families and just relax together. Till today, many folks around the globe consider their Sunday lunch to be special.
This is probably why there are several cookbooks that focus mainly on special recipes for Sunday lunch. In addition to that, it is not uncommon to see several restaurants, hotels and other eating joints offering their patrons a special Sunday lunch menu. Several women, and in some cases, men too, are full of great Sunday lunch ideas; they can whip up the best Sunday lunch for a large gathering that comprises of family, relatives and friends.
Fortunately, it is not necessary for you to buy a cookbook for Sunday lunch recipes. Nor do you need to visit an expensive restaurant for a Sunday lunch buffet, to enjoy a special meal. There are several resources online that can help you with a few Sunday lunch menu ideas for a small or a large gathering, or even just for your immediate family. Contrary to what many women believe, preparing a healthy, wholesome, nutritious and enjoyable Sunday lunch at home does not necessarily have to take hours. In fact, it is quite possible for you to prepare an easy Sunday lunch, in less than an hour. Given below, are a few ideas for quick and easy Sunday lunch menus, from all over the world:
Roast Chicken with Fresh Veggies:
This healthy lunch recipe is ideal for feeding a family of about 5 to 6 hungry members. The best part of this recipe is that it can be ready in about 35 to 40 minutes at the most.
Ingredients:
- 1¾ kilo of chicken
- 12 small new potatoes
- 8 cloves of garlic
- 3 carrots, cut into thick slices
- 2 small red onions, cut into thick slices or wedges
- 1 leek, cut into chunks
- 80 ml olive oil
- ½ teaspoon salt
- Fresh ground pepper to taste
Method:
- Preheat the oven to 250 degree C
- Take a large mixing bowl and place the chicken pieces in it
- Add the potatoes, garlic, carrots, onions and leek to the bowl
- Pour the olive oil over the chicken as well as the vegetables. Sprinkle the salt and the pepper over them too
- Mix all the ingredients together, using your hands. If required, a little more olive oil can be added to the recipe.
- Take a baking dish or a roasting tray and spread out all the ingredients in a single layer, on to it.
- Pop the baking dish into the preheated oven and allow the chicken to cook for around 30 to 40 minutes. Check the dish regularly, to make sure that the chicken does not get too crisp.
- Serve the dish, while it is still hot, preferably, right out of the oven
This recipe can be enhanced, by adding a few more ingredients such as almonds, peppers, mushrooms, asparagus, broccoli and some herbs, like basil, oregano, sage or thyme. The recipe mentioned above can also be regarded as a healthy Sunday lunch
While some families like to enjoy their weekend with a rich and filling Sunday lunch, there are others that may prefer to eat a light but nutritious lunch, which is fairly low in calories but loaded with nutrients. There is nothing better than a healthy salad, to satisfy people’s taste buds and to meet the body’s nutritious requirements.
Chicken Caesar Salad:
This is one of the most popular salad choices, enjoyed by people all over the world. It takes barely 15 to 20 minutes to prepare and can be added to just about any menu, including a Sunday lunch menu.
Ingredients:
- ½ head of lettuce Romaine or Cos, cut into pieces
- 1 chicken breast, cut into bite sized pieces
- 1 thick slice of white bread, cut into cubes
- 2 tablespoons of mayonnaise
- 2 tablespoon freshly grated parmesan cheese
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 small clove of garlic, crushed
- A few drops of Worcestershire sauce
- A few drops of Tabasco
Method:
- Take a nonstick frying pan and heat the olive oil in it. Add the bread cubes to the pan and keep stirring them occasionally, until they turn golden brown
- After removing the bread cubes, add the chicken pieces to the frying pan. Allow the chicken to cook for about 5 to 10 minutes. Once the chicken is cooked, let it cool for a few minutes.
- In a bowl, combine the mayo, lemon juice, garlic, Tabasco and Worcestershire sauce, with one tablespoon of parmesan cheese.
- In a large mixing bowl, mix the lettuce with the chicken. Drizzle most of the dressing over the lettuce and chicken and then toss all the ingredients together.
- Refrigerate the salad for as long as required
- Just before serving, sprinkle the remainder of the parmesan cheese, dressing and the croutons over the chicken and lettuce
Instead of making the croutons at home, you could save time, by using the ones that are easily available in stores.
No Sunday lunch menu is complete without dessert and therefore, it is important for good Sunday lunches to include something to satisfy people’s sugar cravings.
Dutch Apple Pie:
Apple pie is probably one of the favorite desserts of most of the people in the United States, which is why it features on the menu of most restaurants. Many women who have young children choose to bake apple pie over the weekend, so that they can get their children involved in the preparation.
Ingredients:
- 8 Jonathan apples, sliced
- 1 Package of pie crust
- 2/3 Cup of flour
- 1/3 Cup of butter
- ¾ Cup of sugar
- ½ Cup of brown sugar
- 1 Teaspoon cinnamon powder
Method:
- In a large bowl, mix the apples, cinnamon and the white sugar properly. Put the mixture in a pie shell
- In another bowl, mix the flour, the brown sugar and the butter. Cut the mixture with a knife repeatedly, so that it becomes crumbly.
- Sprinkle the crumbly mixture on top of the apples
- Place the pie shell in an oven and bake at 350 degrees, for about 40 minutes, or till the apples are tender. (Test the apples with a fork)
- Serve the pie while it is hot, preferably with some vanilla ice cream on the side.
Before using any of the Sunday lunch recipes mentioned above, it may be best to consult a medical practitioner, especially when cooking for a person who is elderly, or is suffering from any preexisting medical condition.
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