Tasty ideas for the vegetarian lunch box

Time to eat. Is the meal of the day the least you think about? Do you find yourself just ‘grabbing a bite’ or making the same sandwich every day? Well, luckily it doesn’t have to be that way. Below I have given you some great ideas that are suitable for your lunch box. Don’t be afraid to try new things, as well as incorporate your vegetables, beans, grains, etc. favourites. All of these ideas are vegetarian. However, you don’t have to be a vegetarian to eat a vegetarian lunch. Experts suggest that people try to avoid meat at least some of the time, both for environmental and health reasons. Cutting up your lunch meat is a simple way to do this.

Sandwiches and rolls

Sandwiches are such an easy option. However, it doesn’t have to be cheese and tomato sandwiched between two slices of white bread. There are many, many ways to make this simple option more interesting. Start by varying the bread you use. There are a lot of different breads these days. Think whole grains, rye, spelled, whole rye bread, sourdough to name just a few. Also, it doesn’t just have to be sliced ​​bread. You can have rolls, baguettes, pitas, wraps, and all the different variations that come from these options.

Now to choose your filling. Mix and match to make some tasty combinations. There is cheese and all its varieties, including cream cheese and cheese spread. Don’t forget cheeses like halloumi and feta, which work great in wraps and pitas. Then there’s the egg, mashed or sliced, add some curry powder or mustard, or just salt and pepper. Beans and chickpeas work great—you can mash them up to make a muffin or sandwich, or keep them whole for pitas and wraps. Cannellini or butter beans are great as you can mash them up and then add herbs or spices to transform them. You can fill your sandwich with your favorite vegetables: salad leaves, grated carrot, sliced ​​tomato, corn kernels. Things like broccoli and cauliflower go well in wraps, raw or roasted. If you like, you can finish your sandwich with a little relish or mayonnaise.

salads

A salad is not just a little lettuce, cucumber and tomato. It really is a combination of ingredients, mixed together to make something delicious and perfect for your lunchbox. To make your lunches more filling, you can add a base to your salad. Things like couscous, Bulgarian wheat, pasta, brown rice, and quinoa are all good options. Couscous is a great option as it is very quick to prepare. While your base is cooking you can prepare the rest of your salad.

Add whatever vegetables you like. Onions (whether spring, brown, red, or even pickled), kale, spinach, cherry tomatoes, carrots, broccoli, avocado, arugula are a few options. You can add them raw or roasted or fry them if you wish. Your vegetables can also come from a can or a jar. Things like artichoke hearts, olives, capers, and sun-dried tomatoes work really well, and their flavor goes a long way. You can even add some walnuts – I love toasted pine nuts, but cashews and almonds are good or just whatever takes your fancy. Don’t forget the beans, just rinse, drain and stir.

To make your salad even better, make a simple dressing. Simply combine the extra virgin olive oil with your choice of vinegar or lemon (or lime) juice. For a salad for two, 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil mixed with 1 tablespoon of vinegar are the amounts you need. You can add spices and herbs, even mustard if you like. Then add the dressing to the salad.

Spreads and sauces

This is a fun way to have lunch. Add some crusty bread or the like to your lunchbox, put some spread in a container, remember a knife and voila. Instead of crusty bread, you can always make some polenta. Cook the polenta, transfer it to a pan and let it solidify. Cut and serve with your choice of spread or topping. Alternatively, you can cut the polenta into fingers and serve them with a dip. Try cutting up some raw vegetables like carrots and bell peppers. These are perfect with sauces along with mushrooms, cherry tomatoes, and radishes.

What works as a dip usually works well as a spread as well. Cream cheese is a good choice and can be enhanced with herbs, spices, mustard. I like to bombard bell peppers on the grill and mix them with the cream cheese. You can also blitz with beets, artichoke hearts, any type of bean, or canned chickpeas. Try adding horseradish sauce and some blue cheese to the beets, it’s delicious. Raid your pantry and don’t be afraid to experiment.

To add even more variety to your lunch, you can add a hard-boiled egg, a few cubes of cheese, raw nuts, olives, sun-dried tomatoes, or pickles. Grapes work well too, as do dried fruit.

slices

I have a perfect recipe for a slice of vegetables. You make it ahead of time, slice it up, and what you don’t use can be thrown in the freezer and then thawed as needed. You can vary the vegetables you add to it, but the basic recipe remains the same.

Preheat oven to 180°C/350°F/Gas Mark 4. Grease and line a 30 x 20 cm baking pan. In a large bowl, mix 4 eggs and ½ cup (125 ml) of milk. Add ½ cup (75 g) whole wheat self-raising flour and ½ cup (75 g) regular self-raising flour to make a dough.

Finely chop a head of broccoli and ½ cup (25 g) baby spinach. Dice 100g feta cheese and grate 1 carrot. Add the vegetables and cheese to the dough. You can vary what you add at this stage. Try chopped bell peppers, onion, corn kernels, scallions, cauliflower florets, zucchini.

Season. Pour into the baking pan and bake for 30 minutes until golden brown and firm.

Let cool and remove from the mold. Cut into quarters, then divide each quarter in half. Place 2 slices in each lunch box, then in the refrigerator. The rest can be frozen by wrapping each slice in plastic wrap and then placing them in a freezer container or bag and then placing them in the freezer.