It is important to ensure variety in your vegan diet to make certain that you are getting all of the right nutrients, to stay motivated, and of course, to enjoy your food. Many people on the vegan diet get stuck in a rut when it comes to preparing their lunches. What they may not realize is that there are many super easy and healthy vegan lunch ideas and recipes awaiting them, if they simply are willing to put in a little bit of effort in preparing them!
Listed below are 5 vegan food ideas and recipes for your lunch.
Veggie burger/lentil burger
Assembling a veggie or lentil burger is a healthy, easy and super delicious vegan lunch idea. Find a brand of vegan patties that you like, and cook the patties in a frying pan or in the oven according to packet directions. In the meantime, slice open your bread roll and add either pesto, hummus or guacamole to the base. Add your cooked patty to the bread roll, and top with some sliced tomato, grated beetroot and carrot and sliced pineapple. And voila, it’s completed!
Vegan Mediterranean pizza
This is a super easy vegan lunch to prepare. You can make it the night before or that day if you are at home. Purchase a vegan pizza base and a vegan tomato paste from your local health shop. Brush your pizza base with the tomato paste (or simply olive oil or pesto if you don’t have vegan tomato paste). Add some olives, sun-dried tomatoes, cherry tomatoes (halved), sliced mushrooms, some thinly sliced red onion and a few dollops of pesto. Next, you can either grate some vegan cheese on top, or make a ‘white sauce.’ To make your white sauce, add 1 Tbsp. flour and 1 Tbsp. olive oil to a hot frying pan, and cook the mixture for about 30 seconds. Next add some sea salt, pepper and dried herbs. Finally, add rice or soy milk slowly to the mixture, a little bit at a time, stirring consistently. When the desired thickness has been achieved, take off heat and spoon onto your pizza. Cook your pizza in a moderate oven for about 30 minutes.
Pita bread with falafel and hummus dip
Purchase some pita bread wraps, and some falafel mixture from the supermarket or health shop. Prepare and fry your falafel patties as per packet directions, take off heat and set aside. Spread some vegan hummus dip (from the supermarket, or make yourself) on the inside of your pita bread – on both sides. Add some sliced onion, shredded lettuce, parsley, grated carrot, or whatever salad ingredients you fancy. Put 2 or 3 falafel patties inside your pita bread, and gently break them apart with a fork. Add salt and pepper. Enjoy.
Faux Lunch-meat or ‘Bacon’ sandwich with salad
Vegan fake meat brands from the supermarkets and health shops has improved drastically in taste and ingredients over the last few years. What used to taste bland and unappetizing now has the potential to taste gourmet and enjoyable. Faux meats, sausages and lunch-meats now boast of robust flavors (i.e., not simply soy, wheat and pea protein!) including special grains (quinoa, kamut), lentils, chickpeas, beans and herbs and spices.
Choose your favorite faux meat, or cook your faux bacon. Choose your vegan bread roll, wrap or bread and add your choice of the following gourmet ingredients: olives, sun-dried tomatoes, mustard, hummus, pesto, avocado, guacamole, lettuce or spinach, grated carrot, beetroot, corn, sliced onion, vegan cheese, fresh or dried herbs, and of course, freshly ground pepper and sea salt.
Peanut butter and jelly Sandwich
Choose your favorite vegan bread, wrap or bread roll, and top with natural peanut butter spread and a natural jam of your choice! Hey, who said that adults can’t enjoy a peanut butter sandwich?!
As you can see, there are many easy vegan lunch ideas that you can prepare for yourself without much hassle. The above lunch recipes are super easy, and even the amateur vegan cook can prepare them. Remember, vegan food does not have to be boring – so find some yummy recipes and get creative!