In an effort to loose weight I’m changing to a plant-based diet*. Breakfast and dinner are easy, I’ve got them figured out already. What’s keeping me on meat and cheese is lunch. I could have salad every day, but I love sandwiches. They’re easy to make, I don’t have to wait for a microwave when I’m at work, and they’re delicious. All I can come up with are time-consuming things like fried eggplant and unsatisfying things like ‘salad between two slices of bread’.
Does anyone have any suggestions? I don’t have a lot of free time, so I’d really like ideas that don’t involve actual cooking.
*I’m staying away from the ‘v-word’ because of it’s connotations. I’m still going to wear leather for one thing.
Any variety of Tumaro’s wraps (60 calories each,) Sonoma Jack’s spreadable cheese wedges (25 calories each,) and the veggies of your choice. I like spinach/arugula, cucumbers, various lettuces… Or you could make a burrito or soft taco filled with veggie “crumbles,” black beans, rice, etc. Very low-calorie. Very easy to make.
There are also cheeses made from rice or soy that are a fairly good substitute for dairy cheese. Not sure how readily available they are elsewhere but Whole Foods has them.
Tuna Salad, Egg Salad - go to your store’s deli case and you’ll see they probably have a lot of premade salads like that that you can buy by the pound (or portion thereof). Add lettuce and tomato and you’re set. You might want to mix up the breads to get some variety in your life. Roasted vegetables would be good too I would think.
Buy a variety of fresh vegetables: Sweet peppers, eggplant, mushrooms, onions, carrots, celery, garlic, zucchini, etc. Cut them up in largish pieces. Roast them with olive oil, salt and pepper. Saute some kale with salt, pepper and garlic. Combine and store them in the fridge and make sandwiches for a few days. You can also freeze portions in freezer baggies for longer term storage. Add cooked quinoa or farro for whole grain protein. Add beans or chick peas for legume protein. Jazz it all up with a splashof aged balsamic or mustard based vinaigrette dressing. Use the good bread.
If you don’t have time, Trader Joe’s has roasted vegetables pre-cooked in their frozen goods section.
I was going to mention hummus or falafel. Peanut butter, almond butter, etc., are also staples. (Man, my life would be so much easier if my kids liked peanut butter )
Seitan is a pretty decent meat substitute. It has a good texture and chew. I’ve made decent faux chicken salad with seitan. It’s basically pure wheat gluten, though, so if you’re gluten-sensitive it’s probably not for you. I’ve also seen various types of faux meat jerky, which I think are often made from seitan or tempeh. I haven’t really cared for them myself, but apparently enough other people like them to keep them on the market. You might give them a try if you’re looking for something that doesn’t require much prep.
If you are eating fish then I heartily recommend a homemade Sardine and tomato paste.
Bung a tin of sardines and tomato into a blender. Add some olive oil, salt, pepper, perhaps paprika if you fancy it? and finely chopped onion. Whizz until smooth.
Stick it in a bowl covered in the fridge and it lasts easily all week, Great as a sandwich base with salad on top or simply as a dipping pate for crudities.
The big bonus being that it is ridiculously cheap and possibly the healthiest thing you’ll ever eat.
Of course if you aren’t doing fish then ignore the above.
If you can learn to do your own rolls (it doesn’t take much to get the hang of it) then a pot of sushi rice and seaweed wrappers aren’t too expensive and a little goes a long way.
Pretty much any of the stuff mentioned above can go in the middle, you just want something with some crunch and a bit of character.
I did a load last Sunday evening and put it in the fridge for my two kid’s packed lunches. It was smoked mackerel, cucumber, spring onion and carrot with a smear of sriracha. Only took about 20 minutes to prep enough for three lunches each and it kept perfectly well until they ate the last of them today.
And the big bonus with sushi? infinitely variable and it feels very satisfying when you get it right.
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