How to Make the Perfect Vegan Packed Lunch
Although UK high-street stores are now offering great lunch options for vegans, sometimes it’s cheaper and healthier to pack your own at home.
Here’s our rundown of easy packed lunch ideas, which are sure to provoke envious looks around your office.
Sandwiches
Go for a classic with vegan cheese slices, tomato and salad, or get creative with hummus, avocado, sun-dried tomatoes, black olives, falafel, smoked tofu, etc. There are so many delicious vegan sandwich fillings to try! Here are some more ideas.
Super Salads
A salad can be anything you want it to be with the array of dairy-free dressings available, and it makes a great option for a light summer lunch.
Soup
Whether it’s in a can or homemade, warming vegetable soups are a really cheap and simple option. Pop them in the microwave and enjoy with some crispy bread.
Falafel Wrap
Ready-made falafel balls are available at most supermarkets, and make a tasty filling in a wrap with salad and pickles. This is also the most common vegan option in many stores sandwich ranges.
Couscous salad
The beauty of a couscous salad is that it’s super-quick to prepare, and you can add pretty much anything you have handy. This Sicilian-inspired version includes olives, raisins, pine nuts and capers.
Pasta
Throwing together a pasta dish can be quick and cheap, but that doesn’t stop it from being a brilliant lunch option. Try toppings like dairy-free pesto, vegetables, tomato sauce or vegan cheese.
Hummus and dippers
Use carrot batons, celery sticks, tortilla chips, toasted pita or anything else at hand to scoop up the hummus for a lovely light snack.
Avocado on Toast
Avocado on toast makes a great fast lunch that you can prepare in the office, as long as there’s a toaster handy.
Dried Fruit and Nuts
A little handful of mixed fruit and nuts, such as dried apricots, cranberries, papaya, walnuts, raisins, almonds and cashews, can be satisfying to nibble on and an excellent way to fuel up on healthy proteins and omega-3s. Create your own mixture, or pick up a ready-made selection from the supermarket.
Nākd Bars
These little bars, which come in a dizzying range of flavours, are surprisingly dense – they are 100 per cent vegan, are made from unprocessed ingredients such as raw dates and cashew nuts and count as one of your five-a-day.
Dairy-Free Yoghurt
COYO, Alpro, Provamel and Sojade all offer convenient lunchbox-sized fruity yoghurt pots that are ideal for the office.
Crisps
No other vegan snack is quite as easy to find as a packet of crisps. You might also be surprised by how many bacon-flavoured crisps are “accidentally vegan”.
Oreos
We’re not claiming these are nutritionally virtuous. But they are really, really tasty, and sometimes that’s all that matters.
Flapjacks
Many flapjacks, such as those made by Ma Baker or Doves Farm, are vegan. They’re also chewy, filling and moreish. Or go for homemade – they’re extremely easy to master and great for kids to have a go at making.
Dark chocolate
https://instagram.com/p/BPKyCCNj4Ho/?tagged=darkchocolate
Research suggests that eating a few squares of dark chocolate every day can actually be good for you – so, you know, go for it!
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