What can you pack for a vegan lunch? Whether you’re going to school, work, a picnic, or on a road trip, you need options for lunch. Check out 50 ideas to fill your lunch bag!
Broke Bank Vegan
highlights Mexican cuisine with a plant-based twist. Here, you’ll find food
that is cheap, easy to make, and delicious for vegans and non-vegans alike. Below
find a sample recipe for Sopes found on this blog. If you haven’t heard of
sopes before, don’t worry.They
also go by other names (like picaditas) and vary depending on
which state of Mexico they’re made in. They’re not too common in North America
unless you have Mexican roots or get a chance to eat at an authentic
restaurant.
Sopes belong to the food family antojitos
(or little cravings) and are usually found in street stalls or served as
appetizers. These little bites are an
essential part of Mexican culture. Broken down — what you have is a thick corn tortilla with ridges (to
keep all the goods from falling off). It’s then lightly fried and topped
with refried beans, vegetables, vegan meat, and different salsas.
Add the masa harina and salt to a mixing bowl and combine. Then, add in 1½ cups of warm water to start and mix together using your hands.
Begin kneading the dough to form a ball that’s sticky enough to stay together, but not coming off on your hands. Keep mixing and pressing with your palm for a few minutes.
If the dough appears too crumbly, add a tbsp of water at a time until you are able to form a texture similar to play-dough. If it becomes too sticky, add in a little more masa harina.
Rolling
Next, start breaking off pieces of the masa dough to form small balls (about the size of a golf ball). Roll each piece of dough in between your palms until smooth. You should get about 9-10 sopes out of this recipe. Cover all the dough balls with a tea towel on your counter or cutting board.
Pressing
If you have a tortilla press, cut a zip lock bag into 2 pieces that will fit into the press (one for each side of the sope).
Open the press and place a ball of dough in the center on a piece of plastic. Place the other plastic piece on top and close the press down quite gently to form thick tortillas (about ¼-inch).
If you don’t have a tortilla press, place your ball of dough between the same 2 pieces of plastic on your counter. Press the dough down with the bottom of a baking dish or flat plate until it’s about ¼-inch thick.
Cooking
Preheat a cast-iron skillet for 8-10 minutes up to medium-low or medium (medium-low works best on our stove). Then, add a sope in and cook on the first side for 60-70 seconds. Flip and cook for another 60-90 seconds, or until brown spots are forming (for us, 70 seconds on the first side and 80 seconds on the second works best).
Remove from heat and let the first sope rest while you add in the next sope. After about 30-60 seconds, pull a little dough from the inner portion of the cooked sope and pinch it out to the edge with your thumb and index finger to form a ridge all the way around.
Cover the sope with a tea towel, and repeat this process until all are cooked.
Serving
Heat about ¼ cup of neutral oil in the same cast-iron skillet over medium-low or medium (depending on your stove). Fry each sope on both sides for about 20-30 seconds, or until they appear a light golden color. Remove from heat and transfer to a paper towel-lined plate to get rid of any excess oil.
The Vegetarian Resource Group is a
vegan activist non-profit organization that does outreach all-year-long. For
example, VRG has been participating in numerous virtual events throughout the
USA by providing speakers on a wide variety of vegan topics. We also send
literature free of charge to other groups/individuals doing educational
activities in schools, hospitals, camps, restaurants, libraries, offices, etc.
Our ability to continue doing this depends on people like you! Your donations
allow us to promote the vegan message whenever we’re called upon for
assistance. Please consider becoming a monthly, quarterly, or single-time donor
to The Vegetarian Resource Group.
Thanks so much for your support. You can make a donation online here: vrg.org/donate
The Vegetarian Resource Group maintains an online Guide to
Vegan/Vegetarian Restaurants in the USA
and Canada.
Here are some recent vegan restaurant additions. The entire guide can be found
here: http://www.vrg.org/restaurant/index.php
To support the updating of this online restaurant guide,
please donate at: www.vrg.org/donate
Here are some new additions to VRG’s guide (Note: Due to
the COVID-19 pandemic many are doing take-out
and/or delivery now):
Chihuahua
Brothers, 863 North Howard St., Baltimore, MD 21201
Mexican vegan food truck that specializes in tasty,
authentic Mexican street cuisine. They offer tacos and hot dogs (both a spicy
Sonoran Dog and a ‘gringo’ or stadium style dog), as well as chips and
beverages such as Jarritos. Their food comes with various sides and extras such
as peppers and sauces that give it a rich and full combination of flavors. Can
be found in the elegant, artsy Mount Vernon neighborhood, right opposite the
UMMC Midtown Campus, or around the city, depending on the day – follow them on
social media to see their schedule, or you can book them to travel to your
event.
ConGreka,
Ave. Main 3140 Santa Rosa, Bayamon, PR 00959
Enjoy pancakes, oatmeal and fruit, veggie burgers, tacos,
and more.
Earthly
Café, 746 Shore Rd., Somers Point, NJ 08244
The breakfast menu includes classics such as buttermilk
pancakes and waffles with options to add on including chocolate chips,
blueberries, or whipped topping. Favorites on the lunch menu include pulled
barbeque jackfruit on a Pugliese roll and a sesame orange salad with tofu
chicken. Acai bowls and smoothies are also available. Their menu changes every
few months to accommodate what produce is in season and they strive to source
local and organic produce when possible. A kid’s menu is also available.
Obon
Shokudo, 720 SE Grand Ave., Portland, OR 97214
They serve a myriad of different classic Japanese
favorites made vegan! You can find them at this street location or at the PSU
Portland Farmer’s Market on Saturday. Try one of their many flavors of
‘onigiri’, a kind of Japanese rice ball. They even give free ‘dog sushi’ for
customers with canine companions!
Enjoy burgers, chick’n sandwiches, mac bowls, and loaded
fries.
Soda
Club, 155 Ave. B, New York, NY 10009
Here you can select from more than 200 natural and organic
wines curated from around the world, pairing them with fare from the “Snacks”
menu, which features fresh vegan pasta, focaccia, and a date cake served with
vanilla ice cream. Non-wine-drinkers need not go thirsty, as beer and chic
sodas (such as the Blood & Roses, containing blood orange and rosemary) are
also served. The swanky décor and the easily-shared plates of food seem
well-suited for an after-work dinner with friends or a casual weekend date
night.
The
Littlest Bake Shop, 645 E. 59th St., Kansas City, MO 64110
Come taste their delicious housemade bakes like their
Churro Cake, a decadent vanilla-cinnamon cake topped with vanilla frosting and
a dusting of cinnamon sugar, or their array of baked goods that change every
day of the week. For a special treat, come enjoy your weekends at their
not-so-little brunch with your choice of The Texan (Jalapeno Cheeze Tofu
Scramble with Herbed Potatoes), The Midwest (Biscuits and Mushroom gravy), or The
New Yorker (Tofu Scramble with Herbed Potatoes)!
Vegan
15, 3003 English Creek Ave. #201, Egg Harbor Township, NJ 08234 and 2001 Market
St., Dujour Café, Philadelphia, PA 19103
Vegan 15 is an all-vegan restaurant founded on ideals of
ethics, health, and the planet. At the restaurant you’ll find healthy,
plant-based meals that are delicious and wholesome. They offer many options,
inspired by various different cultures, so there’s something for everyone. Find
Italian-inspired pasta dishes, American-style burgers, Thai rice bowls, and
even Mediterranean falafel. Complete your meal with a dessert like their
refreshing coconut sorbet!
Veg’d,
280 Bristol St., Costa Mesa, CA 92626
Committed to serving delicious, sustainably-sourced meals,
this café serves a wide selection of all-vegan foods including smoothies,
burgers, sandwiches, and bowls that suit all different preferences and tastes.
With a Michelin-star-rated head chef, and lots of positive reviews, everyone is
sure to find something they enjoy. Try their Veg’d green Forest Smoothie for a
quick breakfast. 50% of the profit will go towards one of three sustainability
projects in Sumatra and Borneo!
Zest
Plant-Based Kitchen, 439 E. Front St., Traverse City, MI 49686
This quaint Traverse City café is the perfect spot for a
breakfast, lunch, or an on-the-go snack. Here you can find smoothies, acai
bowls, salads, and bowls. Their goal is to serve up healthy and delicious
plant-based food that anyone can enjoy. They also serve up a unique ‘Indian
Dish of the Week’ that changes.
Maryland Vegan Restaurant Week (actually weeks)
is August 6th through 29th this year. What a terrific
time to support local veggie restaurants! For details on all the restaurants participating
and special events see: https://www.mdveganeats.com/
Too hot to cook? Be sure to try these raw dishes: Creamy
Avocado and Corn Soup; Spicy Jicama Sticks; Sunflower Seed Tacos; Food
Processor Salsa; Blender Jalapeño ‘Cheese’ Sauce; Red Coleslaw; and Easy
Mexican Chocolate Sauce.
In addition to The Vegetarian Resource Group’s quarterly
vegan magazine (Vegetarian Journal),
VRG publishes a national email newsletter called VRG-News each month. Vegan
news is so vast these days that we saw the need to publish more than can fit in
our quarterly magazine.
Are you in the mood for a creative non-alcoholic beverage? A previous issue
of Vegetarian Journal featured an article titled “Non-Alcholic Thirst
Quenchers,” by Mikiel Peratino. Mikiel is a former assistant manager and
bartender at Great Sage vegan restaurant in Maryland. Enjoy recipes for
Strawberry Fauxjito; Virgin Piña Colada; Warm Golden Pumpkin; Black Rose Mule;
Watermelon Cooler; S’mores Mudslide; Virgin Cucumber Basil Gimlet; and
Butterfly Margarita. These drinks look absolutely gorgeous and will bring a
smile to your face!
“The last three packages I bought of Lightlife Smart Ground
Original had a smokey aroma and a smokey taste, which was positively awful in
the lasagna I made with it. I’m afraid I will have to stop using the
product if this is the new version.” –Barbara
What are other readers’ experiences with this reformulated product? Let us know at [email protected]
The Vegetarian Resource Group (VRG) is a non-profit organization dedicated to educating the public on veganism and the interrelated issues of health, nutrition, ecology, ethics, and world hunger. We have been helping health professionals, food services, businesses, educators, students, vegans, and vegetarians since 1982. In addition to publishing the Vegan Journal, VRG produces and sells a number of books.
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