Vegan lunches for work?!
Vegan lunches for work?
Whats some easy, healthy, and cheap vegan lunches I can bring with me to work? We do have a fridge and microwaves. I am tired of living off vending machines and 6 dollar salads from Trader Joes!!
Answers: On a good week I make large dishes at night or over the weekend and pack the dish into several zip-lock containers. On a bad week I am eating tofurkey sandwiches with a side of applesauce, fig bars or humus and veggies.
Party stores sometimes have large bags of frozen fruit. You can take out a little bit from the freezer to eat each day. This way your fruit will not spoil easily.
:)
Mock tuna salad from a can of chickpeas, 1/4 cup veganaise and several green onions can make several days worth of sandwiches. Black bean burgers with a can of black beans, grilled onions, 2 slices of crumbled bread and garlic powder and pepper can make 4 days worth of burgers and is super cheap.
I hit up the dollar store on occasion and buy all the edible snacks I can eat so that I have a variety. I don't like microwave dishes because why spend $4-$5 on microwave food when I can get an order of General Tso's Tofu for $10 and pack it for 2-3 days.
I also find that veggie sandwiches are super yum. Just pack the sliced veggies separately and add them and your veganaise or humus on bread when it is time to eat, otherwise you will find you packed a pile of mush.
Overall I think you should have your man make exotic dishes every day like on the veganlunchbox site. He can wake up an hour or so early every day and make you something intricate and beautiful.
lol
:) i would suggest making large portions of vegn meals anf then deviding them into tupperwear for lunch. For example; - Vegan Lasagna (lasagna pasta, spinach, crumbled tofu, tomatoe sauce and toped off with vegan cheese and bake). -Vegan Lentil Soup (soak lentils for a few hours, simmer onions and garlic, add water and lentils, add some tomatoe paste then add herbs) - Vegan Sheperds pie (grill veggie ground meat with frozen veggies then put mashed potatoed on top then bake)
You can always bring your own veggie burgers or hotdogs to work. Or make some pasta salads...... ohhhh or stirfry's...
im hungry now. There is this blog called Vegan Lunch Box. Most of the lunches are for her son, but she also included some of her lunches she takes to work. They are very creative and healthy. She also as a book out.
Unfortunately, yahoo prevents me from including the link.
What you can do is just type in vegan lunch box blog in GOOGLE
It should be the first result. Make bigger amounts of your dinner food, more than you would eat in one meal, then freeze it in meal-size containers. It's like having frozen convenience dinners, but way better and way cheaper. Apple Sandwich
2 slices whole wheat multi seed/grain vegan bread
1 apple; sliced in rounds (cored)
1 tablespoon almond butter
Spread one slice of the vegan bread with the almond butter; place apple rounds on top; cover with 2nd slice of vegan bread.
Awesome Apple
1 apple
1 heaping tablespoon vegan brown sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 tablespoon peanut butter
Slice apple (and peel if desired) and place in a microwave safe bowl. Sprinkle with brown vegan sugar and cinnamon and add peanut butter. Put in microwave for 2 minutes. Stir.
Banana Muffins
2 cups whole-wheat pastry flour
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1 tablespoon baking powder
2 large, very ripe bananas
1 1/4 cups applesauce
1/2 cup dates
1/2 cup vegan soymilk
In a large bowl, combine the flour, salt, and baking powder. In a blender, puree the bananas and dates; add the applesauce, and soymilk. Mix well. Pour the banana mixture into the dry ingredients and stir until just moistened. Fill muffin cups with the batter and bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until lightly brown and firm.
Brazilian Toast
2 slices of vegan bread
1 banana
dairy free cheese
Toast the vegan bread slices. Peel the banana, cut it lengthwise in half and cut some dairy free cheese. Put the banana on one slice and the cheese on the other. Put them into a hot oven or microwave until the cheese has melted. Put the slices together, cut in half and enjoy!
Chickpea Snacks
Chick peas
a bit of olive or other oil
favorite spices
Drain the chickpeas well, and then toss with enough oil to coat and sprinkle with spices. I like to make with curry type stuff. Anything you like with chickpeas should work well. Spread the chickpeas on a baking sheet, and bake at 400 degrees for 45 minutes. Stir midway through the cooking time.
Easy and Inexpensive Granola
4 cups oats
1 cup sunflower seeds
1 cup buckwheat groats
1/4 cup sesame seeds
1/4 cup pumpkin seeds (optional)
1/4 cup any available chopped nuts
2 tablespoon wheat germ (optional)
1/2 cup or more any dried fruit that you like, cut in small pieces
1/2 cup oil
1/2 cup sweetener (maple syrup, vegan brown sugar, etc.)
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon salt
Preheat oven to 300 degrees. In large shallow baking pan, combine all of the grain and seed ingredients. Combine sweetener and oil in small pan, heat until it it is smooth and hot. Pour over the seed mixture and stir.Add spices, put the whole thing in the oven and bake for about 30 minutes. Stir after about 15 minutes. Let cool, add dried fruits; mix will keep almost forever in air-tight container.
Tofu Pizza Snack or Meal
1 cup pasta-bake sauce or vegan pizza sauce
12 oz. soft silken tofu
4 garlic cloves
1/4 teaspoon onion powder
/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 Tablespoon nutritional yeast
Pizza dough, vegan bread, or tortillas
Put everything except dough in blender and blend until its an even weird orange color. Pour sauce stuff over dough, bread, or tortillas and microwave until sauce bubbles and you can see it hardening a little.
Snack Balls
2 packets of dried fruit salad
2 tablespoon of tahini
half a cup of almonds (chopped)
banana (mashed)
apple (grated)
packet of grated coconut
Soak the dried fruit in hot water, drain well. Put in blender. Add warm tahini and chopped almonds. In a seperate bowl, mash the banana and the grated apple together. Roll the fruit mixture into little balls, roll them in the banana and apple mixture then in the grated coconut, and refridgerate over night.
Sago-Potato Roshti
2 big potatoes (grated)
1 cup sago (soaked in water for 3 hours)
1 tablespoon oil
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1 tablespoon chili-ginger paste
1/2 cup coarsely crushed peanuts
1 teaspoon vegan sugar
juice of 1 lime
3 tablespoon coriander leaves
pepper and salt to taste
Heat the oil, add cumin seeds, chili- ginger paste till seeds start crackling. Add grated potatoes, salt n mix well. cover and cook for a while. Add crushed peanuts and cook for another 3 min. Finally, add sago, salt, sugar, lemon juice, coriander. mix well. cover and cook till one side becomes red. Turn upside down and cook till red. Carefully take out in a dish. it is crispy and looks like a fat pancake or roshti.
Punchy Pita
2 pitas
olives
2 shredded carrots
shredded lettuce
tomato
Toast pita. Dice olives and tomatoes. Fill pita with above ingredients.
Peanut Butter Lunch Mix
Peanut Butter
Syrup
Raisins
Vegan Chocolate Chips
Put enough peanut butter into a bowl as would be a serving size-about 3 spoonfuls. Pour just enough syrup over it so it's covered-as you would a pancake. Mix in raisins and chocolate chips. Stir until the syrup and peanut butter are blended.
Monkey Bars
Makes 24 small bars
4 small firm ripe bananas (about 1 pound)
1/2 cup crispy brown rice cereal
1 tablespoon natural peanut butter
1 tablespoon maple syrup
1 teaspoon unsweetened cocoa
Cut the bananas in half lengthwise and set aside.Combine all other ingredients in small bowl, blending well.
Spread 1 tablespoon of the brown rice/peanut butter mixture over the cut sides of 4 banana halves and then top with the remaining halves. Cut each crosswise into 6 pieces Main dishes:
Tomato sandwiches with lettuce and/or hummus. My favorite.
Peanut butter and jelly... obviously.
Leftover stir fries, tempeh, etc.
Amy's meals! They are absolutely delicious. You can find them at most health food stores. None of their meals include meat, and they label the ones that are vegan.
Side dishes:
Nut mixes
Cut up fruit or fruit cups (Dole is good)
Sugar snap peas
Carrots
Pretzels and hummus
Tings! I don't know if you can find these near you, but they are amazingly good. They carry them in my Whole Foods.
Desserts:
Luna bars
"Enjoy Life" brand cookies/granola bars
Alternative Baking Company brand cookies (So good... *drool*)
Also try this website:
http://veganlunchbox.blogspot.com/...
Good luck! (: I like to roll seasoned rice and beans up in a rice wrapper (asian stores, or health food store)-you can add sprouts and lettuce for nice crunch. You could also buy a thermos and take hot veggie stew or soup, curried cous cous, etc from home. Just heat it up in the morning, it will stay hot for about 8 hours. Hey Katie
I second the Vegan Lunchbox suggestion - http://www.veganlunchbox.blogspot.com...
Searching through flickr group photo pools for vegan lunches or bento would provide inspiration too!
Here is a group photo pool for lunchboxes:
http://www.flickr.com/groups/63838458@n0...
And bento:
http://www.flickr.com/groups/veganbento/...
I don't know what your work is like but I would usually suggest preparing yourself for the slew of "*sneer* What's THAT?!" questions. :D Lol i love Trader Joes...Yes the Vegan Lunch Box Idea is great I use it sometimes and they have some great recipes!!
But im going to try to explain..The best vegan pita sandwich recipe (which was created by muah)!
Okay so i love to eat this for lunch its quick and easy! Just get some pita pockets and cut them i half. Stuff that half with cucumbers, lettuce, tomato, olives, oil + vinegar, and basically anything you can think of. You could also tofu or hummus!! And thats it...and if you prepare it correctly it can taste good!! Or you could just go with the other alternative...SUBWAY!
Hope I helped in some odd way!!
=] I fall back on bean burritos from taco bell, but I don't know if they are strictly veg or not...I think they use vegetable oil now in the refried beans? Lately have been making pizza "sandwiches" for breakfast and snacks..bread, put some ragu pizza sauce on and some sliced black olives (or whatever and eat cold)...Mudjudara (cold mediterranean lentil salad with lemon juice, chopped cooked onions and alspice,etc) is good too... well at walmart there are these things called "Boca Burgers". they are soy burgers, and they make a pretty convincing burger. they have vegan ones and they have vegetarian ones. also: http://www.peta2.com/stuff/s-eat2.asp...
http://www.peta2.com/stuff/s-accvegan.as...
thats about it... just look around in a bunch of stores...