Monday, November 1, 2010

100 Ideas for Vegan Lunches


When Dewey and I started sharing kitchen duties, all my leftovers and meticulous meal plans disappeared. Dewey isn't a fan of repeated meals or planning meals ahead. We've forged some kind of cooking alliance that works for us, and dinner shows up on the table with little fuss most of the time. But when I finally found a job in Austin, I missed my constant leftovers for lunch. Being me, my first thought was a list. And so I bring you, 100 Ideas for Vegan Lunches.

The list is specific to my tastes, dietary needs, and cooking habits. So think of this as a starting place. Replace the meals that I like to cook in bulk with your own favorites. Some obvious foods don't appear, such as juice, because they're not diabetic friendly. The foods are more-or-less healthy, but that doesn't mean there isn't a place for dessert or chips at lunch. It just means I don't need a reminder to eat those sorts of things.

Without further ado, here are 100 things you could pack for lunch, with links available where possible

1. crock cheez, crackers, vegetables
2. hummus (commercial), crackers/pita, vegetables
4. pbj
5. refried bean tortilla spirals w/salsa
7. boxed soup
8. yogurt w/flax
10. jerky
11. dal
12. cole slaw
13. TLT
14. avocado, tomato sandwich
16. Caesar salad
18. muffins
21. sesame noodles
22. nuts
23. fresh fruit
24. no sugar added dried fruit
25. plant milk
26. hot chocolate
27. tamales (frozen)
28. sausages (commercial)
30. bean dip (homemade), crackers, vegetables
31. seven layer dip w/tortilla chips
33. falafel (frozen) w/pita, lettuce, tomatoes, tahini
34. ww English muffin w/EB and marmite (or jam)
35. pumpkin bread
36. salad: lettuce w/soba, tofu, red bell pepper, and peanut sauce
37. soy crisps
38. leftovers
39. avocado
40. oatmeal w/nuts, soy milk, and brown sugar
41. unsweetened applesauce w/walnuts or pecans and flax
42. waffles (homemade or commercial) w/maple syrup or peanut butter
43. Boca chik sandwich w/vegenaise on whole wheat
44. tomato salad
45. almond pate (from Wheatsville), vegetables, crackers
46.vegetable (or hummum) wrap
47. dry cereal
48. baked potato with toppings (salsa, broccoli, and so on)
49. ww couscous w/nuts and dried fruit
50. sliced mushrooms w/Goddess dressing
51. ww garlic bread
52. sun-dried tomatoes
53. miso soup
54. noodles w/esme's sauce and vegetables
55. smoothie
56. salad: romaine, apple, avocado, tempeh bacon, red onion, goddess dressing
57. olives
58. chocolate covered fruit
59. seitan sandwich w/all the fixins
60. artichoke salad sandwich with spinach
61. baked beans
62. pickle
63. bouillon
64. iced tea/coffee
65. celery (or jalapeno!) filled with peanut butter
66. popcorn (with nooch)
67. grain salad (grain+herbs+beans+sauce)
68. chickpea salad sandwich
69. tortilla chips and salsa
70. black bean soup
71. soup in a bag
72. grilled cheese and tomato soup
74. edamame
75. frozen vegetables
76. roasted vegetables
77. bowls (grain/pasta + veg/beans/tofu + sauce)
78. cereal w/milk and fruit
79. raw vegetables w/ranch dip
80. lasagne
81. pasta salad
82. quick curry w/brown rice or pasta
83. fried rice
84. cornbread
85. frozen fruit
86.crackers and peanut butter
87. baked apple
88. peanut butter and apple or banana sandwich
89. tot salad: lettuce, tater tots (cooked), green onions, tomatoes, green beans, agave-mustard salad dressing
90. rice and beans (with hot sauce!)
91. baked sweet potato w/brown sugar-green onion compound EB
92. tofu scramble in a tortilla
93. steamed vegetables
94. side salad: arugula w/tahini-rice vinegar dressing
95. crystallized ginger
96. fruit crisp
97. tofu (baked, fried, or aburaage) with a dipping sauce
98. marinated mushrooms
99. kale and soba noodles dressed with soy sauce and sesame oil
100. BBQ chickpeas

The full version of the list is organized by work required (little work, bulk cooking, some work) and nutrient, focusing on the ones vegans or diabetics might need to pay attention to. You can find it here.


21 comments:

celyn said...

What an amazing list! I'd like to hear more about the artichoke salad sandwich. Happy MoFo!

Jen said...

thanks for the muse! -jewy

Andrea said...

I'm sure a lot of hungry lunch-eaters will be inspired by this list!

mollyjade said...

celyn, the artichoke salad sandwich idea was stolen from ppker muffin-tuffin. I'll try to post more details later this week. (Muffin-tuffin's blog is at http://cestlavegan.blogspot.com/)

house vegan said...

This amazing! I'm a dedicated bento packer, but sometimes the ideas elude me.

I've been doing breakfast bentos which have been really fun! Small pancakes, homemade sausage, fruit and so forth. I love packing my own food! Thank you so much for all the ideas!

Happy Mofo!

Bonnie said...

Thank you for this list!! I always need more ideas for interesting lunches, so this post is very useful :)

panda with cookie said...

Baked tofu sandwiches are one of my favorite on the go lunches. I shall keep your list at hand. Great ideas.

DJ said...

Love this list, a bit of much needed inspiration for packing lunches for my husband and daughter! Happy Mofo, look forward to reading your upcoming posts!!

Anonymous said...

mmm tot salad, great list!

mollyjade said...

Thanks, everyone! If there's anything lunch-related you want to read about, let me know.

Monique a.k.a. Mo said...

Such as good list!

B.A.D. said...

I'll say it again. this list is amazing!

Candy Beans said...

Great list! Thanks for the link to crock cheese. I've never had it, but I'm thinking it would be a good way to battle my latest fixation with We Can't Say It's Cheese Dip.

mollyjade said...

CandyBeans, Thanks! It's one of my favorites. The recipe says to let it sit for an hour, but I think it tastes even better the longer you let it sit.

Anonymous said...

Brilliant idea! Love it.

Kit said...

Thank you! I need to print this out, I got to pack a lunch and my mind goes blank.

Fanny said...

Impressive! I don't need packed lunches right now since I'm working at home, but I do go on day trips quite often and this is handy for that too!

Anonymous said...

I love lists. And this list is fun and inspiring! You must have put a lot of work into making it. I'll be coming back to this list when I feel in need of ideas.

Zoa said...

Nice list. "Taco salad" caught my eye. I'm not quite sure exactly how old taco salad would have to be before I stopped wanting to take it for lunch :-)

Evelyn said...

Peanut butter in a jalapeƱo? You're mad with power! I like the idea of soba and kale. I've never done that, and now I don't know why.

mikaila said...

Once MoFo is over, I plan on going through this entire list. I work in an office setting with my partner and our lunches are usually planned at the last minute. You've got some great ideas I never would have thought of!