7 Favorite Vegan Lunch Recipes

in Eat/Nutrition by

In Honor of World Vegan Month, this week we’re sharing with you 7 vegan Lunch Ideas from our favorite vegan Instagram accounts. It doesn’t matter if you’re not vegan, or even a vegetarian, experimenting with new flavors and techniques to get additional servings of fruits and veggies into your daily diet never hurts. Also, the perfect time of year to cook with fresh, in season vegetables is now!

Who ever said vegan was boring?

Vegan Burger

VEGGIE BURGERS W/ A SWEET & TANGY MUSTARD SAUCE + RADICCHIO SLAW by @_faringwell ? Recipe: Makes 6 burgers. 1 cup sweet onion, diced 4 cloves garlic, minced 1 cup grated carrot (about 1 large) 1 1/2 cups grated zucchini (about 1 medium) 3 cups chopped white (or brown) mushrooms 1 tablespoon refined coconut oil (for cooking) salt + pepper to taste 1/4 cup low sodium tamari (non-GMO) 1 cup oat flour 1 cup sunflower seeds (shelled and ground) Heat a large skillet to medium/low heat and add the refined coconut oil. Toss in the diced onion and cook until translucent. Add the garlic and cook for another minute. Now add the grated carrot and zucchini. Let cook for another 5 to 7 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the chopped mushrooms and stir to combine. Let sit and cook for another 5 minutes, stirring occasionally to make sure all of the mushrooms get cooked evenly. Turn off the heat and let the mixture cool slightly while you prepare the dry ingredients. In a large glass or ceramic mixing bowl, combine the oat flour and ground sunflower seeds (I usually grind my seeds, and sometimes oats too, in the food processor until they resemble a flour). At this point I tend to add a good pinch of salt and few dashes of pepper to the dry mixture. Add the cooked veggies to the bowl using tongs, leaving any excess water/juices in the pan, and mix well with the flours. Add the tamari and mix well again. Taste and adjust seasonings if needed. Divide the mixture into 6 balls and place on a parchment lined cookie sheet. If the dough is too sticky to handle, place it in the freezer for a few minutes to set. Once shaped, you can either flatten the veggie burger balls and go straight to baking them (instructions below) or place in the freezer. Once frozen I transfer them to a freezer-safe bag, making sure to squeeze out all of the air before sealing tightly and keeping in the freezer until ready to cook (they will keep for one month when frozen). Thaw a veggie burger in the refrigerator overnight (or during the day) before proceeding to cook. Recipe continued in comments below! Enjoy! #letscookvegan

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  Spicy lime cauliflower steaks

Spicy lime cauliflower steaks by @happyhealthblog ? Recipe: 1 large head of cauliflower 1/4 cup olive oil 2 limes, zested and juice 2 cloves garlic, finely grated 1 teaspoon agave syrup 2 tablespoons smoked paprika 1 tablespoon cumin 1 teaspoon salt 1/4 cup finely chopped cilantro leaves Lime wedges, to serve . Lets get cooking… Start by washing and cutting the cauliflower in 0,7-1 inch thick steaks, the remaining florets can be saved and used for another dish or juicing. Mix all ingredients except the cilantro in a small mixing bowl brush the cauliflower steaks and use the remaining sauce in the pan. Fry the steaks in medium-high heat for 3-5 minutes on each side. The steaks are ready when the cauliflower are turning softer and has a nice golden color. Serve with some freshly squeezed lime and cilantro. Final cooking time will depend on how thick you cut the steaks, and on the heat. I cooked mine at high heat until well grilled on the outside, but still a little crispy inside. I chose to eat the steaks with some raw vegan chimichurri sauce. All you need to do is blend all the ingredients in a food processor and pulse for 15-20 seconds. Enjoy! #LetsCookVegan  

A photo posted by Let’s Cook Vegan (@letscookvegan) on

Sweet potato stir fry

Sweet potato stir fry by @lindsaysb ? Sweet Potato, Broccoli, Black Bean, Kale and Cabbage Stir-Fry. Uses hearty sweet potatoes in the place of rice and/or noodles for a fun twist! Serves one, easily doubled or tripled; Ingredients: 2 small sweet potatoes, or 1 large sweet potato ~ first peeled, then sliced in rounds and finally cut in half 1-2 cups chopped broccoli 1 cup shredded kale (thick stem removed) 1/2 cup shredded red cabbage 1/2 cup rinsed and drained black 1 cup water, set aside Instructions: In a cast iron pan, add sweet potatoes and about 1/2 cup water (I add enough water to cover the bottom of the pan but not enough to cover the potatoes). Cover and allow to cook for approximately 10 minutes, until tender. Then, add broccoli and cabbage to the pan, along with another 1/4 cup of water. Cover and allow to cook up to 5 minutes. Add kale greens and black beans, along with oil/marinade/sauce of choice. I used 2 tsp toasted sesame oil and a splash of soy sauce. Cover the pan for two more minutes. Test seasoning and serve immediately. Adding the marinade and/or oil at the end of cooking the veggies adds a ton of flavor and you don’t have to use as much oil to “fry the veggies.” Flavor options* and cooking notes**: *Either, 1 tbsp sesame seed oil, coconut oil, olive oil, and/or soy sauce to taste. **Feel free to add garlic and onion to the mix. I opted out this time around because I didn’t want to spend more time chopping than absolutely necessary. Plus, I feel with this Asian inspired flavor combo you really don’t need ’em! #bestofvegan

A photo posted by Best Of Vegan (@bestofvegan) on

Sweet potato, kale & cashew korma

Sweet potato, kale & cashew korma by @anettvelsberg ? Recipe: For 3-4 people Time: 1 hour Ingredients 1 tbsp coconut oil 1 medium sized yellow onion, finely chopped 4 garlic cloves, minced 1 tbsp grated ginger 200 ml chopped tomatoes 2 tbsp curry powder 1 tsp Garam masala 1 can (400 ml) full fat coconut milk 1 medium sized sweet potato, diced 80g raw cashew nuts 80g kale, roughly chopped salt, to taste freshly ground Tellicherry pepper, to taste To serve: 200g jasmine rice, cooked to package instructions handful of fresh coriander 1-2 pieces of flatbread/naan bread . Method Heat the coconut oil in a heavy-bottomed pan. Add the onion, garlic and ginger and cook for 4-5 minutes. Add the chopped tomatoes, curry powder, Garam masala, coconut milk, sweet potato and cashew nuts and let simmer for 20 minutes. When the sweet potato is almost soft, add the kale and simmer for 10-15 more minutes. Season with salt and Tellicherry pepper and serve over jasmine rice and naan bread, topped with cilantro. Enjoy! #letscookvegan

A photo posted by Let’s Cook Vegan (@letscookvegan) on

Baked Cinnamon Pumpkin and Cauliflower Rice

Baked Cinnamon Pumpkin and Cauliflower Rice by @the_smallseed_ ? Recipe: Makes 2 med sized bowls Ingredients 1/4 Pumpkin (outer layer cut off) chopped into smallish pieces Ground cinnamon 1/2 Cauliflower Sugar snaps 1/2 Pomegranate Red pepper diced Mint Coriander Heat Oven on 200 deg Spread pumpkin out onto an oven tray, brush a little olive oil over, sprinkle roughly 1 tsp Cinnamon over the top, salt and pepper and bake until soft. Place Cauliflower into food processor and pulse for a few seconds until it looks like rice.. Place in Steamer or microwave and cook until just tender Let cool for a few mins and then add, pomegranate arils, sugar snaps, red pepper, coriander and mint and mix until all is combined Place in bowls and add the pumpkin on top.. Enjoy! #letscookvegan

A photo posted by Let’s Cook Vegan (@letscookvegan) on

Veggie loaded Buddha Bowl

Veggie loaded Buddha Bowl by @happyskinkitchen ? Ingredients: ¾ cup of shredded purple cabbage About 5-6 cherry tomatoes cut in quarters ½ cup of cooked puy lentils ½ cup of cooked sweet corn ½ cup of sauerkraut (optional . For the pesto courgetti: 1 courgette ½ cup of pinenuts The juice of ½ lemon 1 cup of basil leaves 1 clove of garlic Salt and pepper . For the avocado hummus: 1 can of drained and rinsed chickpeas 1 tablespoon of tahini 1 ripe avocado 1 garlic clove The juice of 1 lemon Olive oil Salt and pepper . For the tahini dressing: 1 tablespoon of tahini The juice of ½ lemon 1 teaspoon of miso paste . To make the dressing: whisk all the ingredients together and add a bit of water if needed. To ma the hummus simply place all the ingredients into a food processor and blitz until smooth and creamy. To make the pesto courgette: place all the ingredients apart from the courgette into a food processor and blitz for about a minute until you have a creamy pesto. Spiralise the courgette and mix it with the pesto. Add all the components into a bowl, drizzle with the dressing and enjoy! #letscookvegan

A photo posted by Let’s Cook Vegan (@letscookvegan) on

Mid Estern Style Pizza

Mid Estern Style Pizza by @voilavegan ? For the dough: 400g all purpose flour 250ml lukewarm water 3 tbsp olive oil ½ pack active dry yeast 1tsp salt ½ cup tomato sauce Roasted Red Pepper Hummus: 1 can chickpeas, 2 red bell peppers, washed and halved 120ml olive oil 1tsp ground coriander 100ml water salt and pepper 1tsp paprika Tabouleh 3-4 hands full parsley, washed and chopped 50g bulgur, covered with hot water until all soaked in ½ cucumber 4-5 medium cherry tomatoes juice of one lemon 1 clove garlic, minced 1 small red onion, chopped into small pieces 1 tsp olive oil optional Spicy Chickpeas & Eggplants 1 eggplant, cut into circles ½ a can chickpeas, rinsed and drained 1 tbsp olive oil 1 tbsp paprika 1 tbsp harissa 1 tsp chili flakes salt and pepper Instructions: Put all ingredients for the dough into a food processor (knead function) or knead with hands in a lage bowl. Let dough rise in a kitchen towel covered bowl for about 35-40min. Preheat oven to 200C, brush red bell peppers with olive oil and place them on a parchment paper lined baking tray. Bake until the edges get dark and the peppers are soft. Add roasted red bell peppers and all other ingredients for the hummus to a blender and blend until smooth. After the dough has doubled in size, cut dough into two halves and shape two balls. Roll out each ball on a flour sprinkled kitchen surface and give it the shape you like. Carefully put the pizza on the parchment paper lined baking tray. Preheat oven to 250C. Pour tomato sauce over the pizza and bake in the oven for 20-25min. Meanwhile put eggplant and chickpeas into a bowl and mix with olive oil and spices. Fry in a frying pan until crispy. Set aside. For the tabouleh cut tomatoes into small pieces, peel and remove middle part of the cucumber with a spoon and cut it into small pieces as well. Chop red onion. Add all to a bowl with remaining tabouleh ingredients and mix well. Season with s&p. For the tahini drizzle mix 2tbsp tahini, 2tbsp olive oil, 4-5tbsp water, s&p. Stir well until lump free. Once the pizza is crispy and the crust golden brown, put hummus, eggplants, chickpeas and tabouleh on it and on top the tahini drizzle. #bestofvegan

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Although a sociologist at heart, Nadine finds her love in nutrition, her passion in Pilates and her purpose in writing. Nadine is a Specialist in Fitness Nutrition and a Pilates-instructor in the making. She is also the founder of health blog, Nourished by Nadine (@nourishedbynadine) where she shares her own recipes, as well as health tips.

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