Vegetarian Lunch Ideas

Healthy Vegetarian Recipes

Just like any other food preparation, you first have to figure out what ingredients you have at hand. It is always best to use fresh, seasonal vegetables in your vegetarian lunch recipes. If possible, try to opt for organically grown vegetables as you can be sure that these are free of harmful pesticides. Besides, organically grown produce tastes nicer too. Here are some healthy lunch recipes:

• Sandwiches and wraps: Sandwiches and wraps are not only easy to make but also easy to carry and eat on the go, thus making them the perfect vegetarian lunch ideas for kids or for work. Instead of stuffing your sandwiches with meat, opt for healthier choices such as tofu, tomatoes, cheese, lettuce, sweet potatoes, beetroot, onions, and Brussels sprouts. Also opt for healthy, whole wheat breads for your sandwiches. Some healthy vegetarian lunch ideas for work include grilled tofu sandwich, vegetarian Panini’s, feta cheese wraps, or juicy black bean burgers. All of these healthy vegetarian recipes are easy to whip out and rely on fresh ingredients. They are also very delicious and will change the way you think about vegetarian food.
• Salads: Salads are easy to whip up and can be some of the most healthy vegetarian lunch ideas. If you’re counting calories, a salad lunch is a great way to ensure that you stick to your goals. Just ensure that you do not include fattening ingredients such as mayonnaise, butter, or Thousand Island dressing. Instead opt for simple salad dressings made from soya sauce, olive oil, vinaigrette, and mustard. Simply toss up your favorite vegetables with some low fat salad dressings for a healthy and easy-to-make lunch. If you have young children, try to include crunchy and bright colored vegetables to get them interested in their food.
• Meals: Just because it is a weekend and the whole family is sitting down for a meal does not mean that you cannot come up with some delicious vegetarian lunch ideas for all. It is easy enough to cook a delicious vegetable casserole that everyone can dig into. If you are ready to try something a little more exotic, you can experiment with Italian, Greek, Chinese or Indian cuisines. All of these cuisines feature some easy vegetarian recipes that you can make for lunch.

While most people associate pizza with pepperoni, the fact is that some of the most delicious pizzas that are made in Italy are vegetarian. You can also opt for a healthy vegetarian pizza recipe that all your family can enjoy. If you want to further cut back on the calories, opt for low-fat cheese topping. You can also combine your pizza with some delicious vegetarian pasta recipes for a truly authentic Italian experience.

Traditional Greek recipes such as baked beans and tomato, batter fried zucchini, spinach and rice casserole, or bean and feta casserole are also excellent vegetarian lunch ideas. Team them with some delicious and healthy hummus with tahini. Easy Chinese recipes such as rice noodles and stir fried vegetables are also a great idea for a vegetarian lunch. You can also opt for steamed dumplings stuffed with tasty vegetables. Indian cuisine is predominantly vegetarian and offers a lot of healthy lunch ideas. South Indian dishes such as ‘dosas’ and ‘idlis’ make for an excellent and exotic snack. You can also choose from other traditional vegetarian Indian fare such as cottage cheese and pea curry, rice with green peas, whole wheat Indian breads, and some tasty chutney.

If you put your mind to it there is no dearth of vegetarian lunch ideas that you can adopt to give your family a nourishing and healthy meal. Contrary to popular misconceptions, vegetarian food is not a bland, tasteless affair. Vegetarian lunches can be both healthy and tasty. Vegetarian lunch ideas for work are also a good idea because vegetarian food is digested more easily than non-vegetarian fare. This means that you feel less lethargic after consuming vegetarian food because your body has to waste less energy in digesting the food. This in turn increases your productivity at work. The same holds true for vegetarian lunch ideas for kids. Most kids do not like to eat vegetables. If you can teach your kids to eat vegetarian lunches consistently, you will not only be ensuring proper nutrition, but will also be able to inculcate good food habits that they can follow for the rest of their lives. Never eaten vegetarian before? If you have not experimented with vegetarian meals before, start off slow so that your family has a chance to get accustomed to vegetarian food. Perhaps you could designate one meal a week to be completely vegetarian. Another option is to introduce more vegetarian dishes into your normal meals and cut down on the number of meat dishes that you consume. Once your family warms up to the idea of vegetarian food, you can slowly increase the number of vegetarian meals that your family eats. Eating a vegetarian lunch is the best way to ensure that you and your family stay healthy and get all the nutrition that they require. Remember, vegetarian does not always mean boring or tasteless, so go get creative.