it’s in the bag : The majority of today’s brown-bag lunches are toted by adults who want to control the quantity and type of food in their midday meal.

In years past, it was considered acceptable for schoolchildren and construction workers to tote midday meals, but up-and-coming executives would never have been caught carrying a packed lunch to the office. Today, it’s a very different story--more than 55% of U.S. households have at least one brown-bagger, and of that number, 70% of the lunches are toted by adults, including many business executives and professionals.

These figures, as well as the forecast that the proportion is still growing, come from the Brown Bag Institute, brainchild of ex-advertising executive David Lyon. Throughout the past 4 1/2 years, the organization has completed 11,000 telephone interviews delving into who the brown-baggers are and what they carry, as well as their wants, needs and thoughts.

The chief reason people carry lunches, according to Lyon, is “not to save money, but so they can eat a lunch that corresponds to their life style and personal goals.” They do, of course, enjoy the fact they are saving money, he said.

Convenience also ranks high on the list of why people tote their midday meals. They can take a nibble whenever they want or eat quickly and use the rest of their lunch hour to shop or exercise. For many, taking their lunch eliminates the necessity of driving at noontime.

By packing their lunches, brown-baggers are assured of getting ingredients they know and trust in the quantity desired. Many of the people interviewed by the Brown Bag Institute consider the majority of purchased lunches too large. Small lunches seem to be the trend.

Another statistic uncovered in the institute’s research is that more than one-third of brown-bag lunches are carried by people from households with annual incomes of more than $30,000. It’s “not a poor-folks phenomenon--brown-bagging is a finicky-folks phenomenon,” Lyon said. These are people who “insist on having things done their own way.”

Not too surprising is the fact that more women carry lunches than do men. Since women seem to favor lighter foods, this statistic may partially account for why salads are gaining on sandwiches as the most popular item in the packed lunch.

Although Lyon’s research shows more than $40 billion being spent annually on brown-bagging, he feels this market continues to be all but ignored. Lyon sells the research to companies interested in developing products geared to packed lunches, but he still sees only minimal effort being made to tap the huge void.

In the final analysis, it appears people must still depend mostly on their own ingenuity and creativity when packing noontime meals. Unlike children, who often prefer to carry peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for weeks on end, most adults prefer variety. We developed some alternatives to augment and add some interest to the usual repertoire.

Conversations with different lunch-toters led to an idea for getting around the everyday task of packing a lunch--find someone with the same general food preferences and alternate doing the toting. With this in mind, and because it seems that a lot of twosomes lunch together, some recipes were developed to serve two.

All recipes are based on the premise that foods should be easy and quick to prepare, since most of those interested in this type of lunching probably have neither the time nor inclination to spend more than a few minutes in the kitchen. Some recipes make use of leftovers, which can provide variety. Other recipes adapt well to being frozen and thawed when needed.

Brown Bag Institute statistics indicate a large percentage of lunch carriers have access to refrigerators and microwave ovens at work. This eliminates many of the obstacles for keeping foods cold or heating and reheating, but when appliances are not available, the wide variety of insulated bags and bottles now readily available will do the trick.

Our research unearthed a wealth of interesting alternatives to the standard lunch box or brown bag. Some of these are pictured below and examined in this week’s “Kitchen Cabinet” column on Page 2.

BAKED PORK BUNS

1 (1-pound) loaf frozen bread dough

3/4 pound boneless pork

1/3 cup finely chopped onion

1 clove garlic, minced

1 tablespoon oil

3 tablespoons soy sauce

1/4 cup catsup

2 tablespoons hoisin sauce

1/4 cup sugar

1/2 teaspoon rice wine vinegar

1 egg yolk

1 tablespoon water

Allow bread dough to thaw until pliable. Trim pork and cut into 1/4-inch cubes.

Saute pork, onion and garlic in oil in small saucepan until meat is browned. Stir in soy sauce, catsup, hoisin sauce, sugar and rice wine vinegar. Cover, reduce heat to low, and simmer 25 minutes, stirring frequently.

Slice bread dough into 8 pieces. Stretch each piece to 4-inch circle. Place 1 heaping tablespoon pork filling on each dough piece. Pinch dough edges in toward center. Place buns, smooth sides up, on lightly greased baking sheet. Let rise 1 hour.

Combine egg yolk and water and use to brush tops of buns. Bake at 325 degrees 25 minutes or until golden brown. Makes 8 buns.

CHINESE SALAD

1 small zucchini

1 carrot

1/2 small daikon (Oriental radish)

2 tablespoons chopped green onions

2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar

2 tablespoons hoisin sauce

1 teaspoon sesame oil

Dash chili oil

1 teaspoon minced ginger root

1 clove garlic, minced

2 teaspoons sugar

Salt

3 cups shredded lettuce

Cut zucchini, carrot and daikon into fine julienne strips. Place in bowl with green onions. Combine vinegar, hoisin sauce, sesame and chili oils, ginger, garlic and sugar and season to taste with salt. Pour over vegetable mixture, cover and chill. Just before serving, add lettuce and toss. Makes 4 servings.

REUBEN MUFFINS

4 cups buttermilk baking mix

2 eggs

1 cup milk

1 (8-ounce) can sauerkraut, well-drained

1 cup finely chopped corned beef

2 ounces Swiss cheese, cut into 20 cubes

Swiss Spread

Combine baking mix, eggs and milk in large bowl. Stir just until blended. Fold in sauerkraut and corned beef. Spoon batter into 5 greased 4 1/4-inch baking cups, filling 2/3 full. Press 4 cheese cubes into each muffin.

Place on jellyroll pan and bake at 400 degees 25 to 30 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from baking cups and cool on wire racks. Makes 5 muffins.

Swiss Spread

1 cup finely shredded Swiss cheese

1/4 cup bottled Thousand Island dressing

1/2 cup softened butter or margarine

Thoroughly blend cheese, dressing and butter. Makes about 1 cup.

Note: If using muffins individually, prepare 1/4 recipe at time.

CHILLED ORIENTAL NOODLE SALAD

1 (3-ounce) package chicken-flavored Japanese-style noodles

3 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 teaspoon sesame oil

Dash chili oil

2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar

1 teaspoon sugar

Salt, pepper

1/4 cup very thin zucchini slices

1/4 cup shredded carrots

1 tablespoon green onion, cut julienne

1 clove garlic, minced

1/4 pound cooked bay shrimp

2 tablespoons toasted slivered almonds

Bring 2 cups water to boil. Break noodles in several places before opening package. Remove seasoning packet and set aside. Cook noodles over medium heat 3 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Reserve 1 teaspoon seasoning mix for dressing. Remove noodles from heat and stir in remainder of seasoning packet. Chill.

Combine reserved seasoning mix, vegetable, sesame and chili oils, rice wine vinegar and sugar and season to taste with salt and pepper. Mix well. Add dressing, zucchini, carrot, green onion, garlic and shrimp to noodle mixture. Refrigerate.

Sprinkle almonds over salad just before serving. Makes 2 servings.

Variations: 3 ounces cooked chicken, turkey, beef, pork, lamb, canned salmon or tuna may be substituted for bay shrimp.

PESTO PINWHEELS

1 (7x4-inch) loaf unsliced firm white sandwich bread

1 tablespoon pesto sauce

1 (3-ounce) package cream cheese, at room temperature

2 tablespoons chopped sun-dried tomatoes

Cut 1/4-inch lengthwise slice from bread. Remove crusts and use rolling pin to flatten. Spread pesto on bread, then cover with layer of cream cheese. Sprinkle with tomatoes. Roll up jellyroll fashion. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate. Cut into 4 (1-inch) slices. Makes 1 serving.

Note: Pesto is available in gourmet delicatessens and specialty shops. Add 1/2 teaspoon milk to cream cheese to increase spreadability.

MARINATED BEEF-PASTA SALAD

1/2 cup julienne strips cooked beef

1/2 cup cooked tri-colored rotini pasta

6 cherry tomatoes, halved

1 tablespoon sliced green onion

3 marinated artichoke heart halves

1/4 cup cubed goat cheese

3 tablespoons red wine vinegar

1/4 cup olive oil

1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard

Dash coarsely ground black pepper

1/2 teaspoon sugar

Dash Worcestershire sauce

Salt

Combine beef, pasta, tomatoes, green onion, artichoke hearts and cheese in medium bowl. Blend vinegar, olive oil, mustard, pepper, sugar and Worcestershire. Season to taste with salt. Pour over salad mixture and toss well. Refrigerate overnight. Makes 2 servings.

DEVILED BEEF SANDWICHES

4 slices mixed-grain bread

Softened butter or margarine

1/2 cup chopped cooked beef

2 tablespoons mayonnaise or salad dressing

1 tablespoon chili sauce

1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon horseradish

Lettuce leaves

Spread bread with butter. Combine beef, mayonnaise, chili sauce and horseradish. Spread mixture on 2 bread slices. Close sandwiches with remaining bread slices. Add lettuce to sandwiches at serving time. Makes 2 sandwiches.

CHILLED BULGUR SALAD

1/3 cup bulgur

1 cup hot water

1 teaspoon oil

1/4 cup chopped sweet red pepper

1/4 cup chopped zucchini

3/4 cup cocktail vegetable juice

1 teaspoon lemon juice

1/4 teaspoon crumbled basil

2 tablespoons chopped green onions

Stir together bulgur and hot water. Let stand 5 minutes, then drain. Heat oil in small skillet over medium heat and saute red pepper and zucchini until tender-crisp.

Stir in cocktail vegetable juice, lemon juice, bulgur and basil. Heat to boiling. Reduce heat to low and simmer 15 minutes or until liquid is absorbed, stirring occasionally.

Garnish with green onions. Serve warm or chilled. Makes 1 serving, 1 1/2 cups.

CREAM OF LEFTOVER VEGETABLE SOUP

2 tablespoons minced onion

2 tablespoons butter or margarine

1 cup chicken stock

1/2 cup leftover vegetables

1/2 cup half-and-half

Pepper

Seasoning of choice

Liqueur of choice, optional

Saute onion in butter in saucepan until soft and transparent. Add chicken stock and vegetables. Bring to boil, reduce heat and simmer 5 to 10 minutes.

Pour vegetable mixture into blender or food processor container and puree or process until almost smooth. Pour back into saucepan, stir in half-and-half and season to taste with pepper, herbs and liqueur. Heat through. Makes 2 servings.

Note: Seasonings and liqueurs will vary depending on vegetables used.

Beets--chervil or orange peel--orange liqueur

Broccoli--garlic powder or oregano

Carrots--dill or mint--anisette

Cauliflower--tarragon or rosemary

Green beans--dill or thyme

Leeks--thyme, rosemary or basil

Peas--basil or chervil

Potatoes--garlic or thyme

Spinach--nutmeg or chervil--Sherry

Swiss chard--chervil--Sherry

Turnips--nutmeg

Zucchini--marjoram or thyme