Post Punk Kitchen Forum

9 times out of 10 I take a packed lunch with me as I abhor buying lunch when I have so many ingredients at home.
Today I had some sweetcorn chowder at about 11am and at about 2pm ate some kidney beans in red velvet mole sauce with carrots, onions and kale over quinoa. We get boxes of fresh fruit delivered to our office twice a week so I ate a couple of apples through the day too. Tomorrow I'll probably have some vegetable soup again in the late morning and chickpea curry or mole over rice later on in the day.

Meh! i forgot my lunch today! after bisqueing at my parnter to remember HIS lunch, then i forgot mine!

Luckily, the super expensive Italian place next door has a quick lunch/coffee shop on the side, and they have a build-your-own salad bar. sort of, you pick it out, they do it for you. And not terribly priced (considering that i work in a big business park in a nice area).

For just under $8 I got a mixed green salad with Broccoli, green beans, (really awesome) marinated artichoke hearts, Kalamata olives and TOFU! with a basalmic vinegette. It was good! nice portion too.

Also, i ate outside and there was this totally cute bunny sitting right next to me! literally.it was so nice outside, it is about 85 degrees here in Orange county

so not bad...but i still wanted my leftover lemony cous cous salad i made last night, but at least i know there is a good alternative close by

I alternate between bringing and buying lunch, depending on how motivated I feel. If I buy I'm limited to a mediocre burrito or an ok salad, plus my daily coffee, it's close to $10! There's an Ike's sandwich place on campus, which is always tempting, but their sandwiches are $10+...for a flipping sandwich.

Today I brought an apple for my morning snack, kale chips and almonds for my afternoon snack, and for lunch a big salad with kale, spinach, romaine, red bell pepper, tomato, and pistachios with tahini dressing.




I ate outside today, too! I miss Orange County weather :( . It was warm here today though...at least 65! And I even remembered to pull up my shirt sleeves to get some sun and my vitamin D. Yay!

I try to always bring lunch; the vegan options within walking distance aren't great, and it gets expensive! Yesterday I had homemade veggie soup (brocolli, potato, carrot, mushroom and red lentil) with homemade brown bread, today I had leftover chilli, yum!

today i brought a really sweet, delicious orange and a huge salad with fancy local greens, red peppers, grape tomatoes, hemp seeds, pepitas, and homemade lemon-poppyseed dressing. also - pizza for breakfast, since i started work at 5am. anyway, it was so good, but i really need to bring some floss if i'm gonna eat poppy seeds at work!

I'm lucky enough that my office is just a ten-minute walk from my apartment, so I go home for lunch at least three times a week. I usually use those other two days to run errands, so I'll pack a lunch with me then.

Today I had leftover spaghetti (does anyone have a trick for reheating pasta in the microwave so it doesn't dry out and get super chewy?) and for snacks, I brought dry cereal, apple slices, and this new protein bar I'm addicted to, the Simply Bar.

My mom taught me to mix in a few spoonfuls of water, and--if possible--cover the pasta when you microwave it, so that steam builds up to keep it from getting dry. This has always worked for me.

I usually take leftovers. If there aren't any and I have time in the morning, I make couscous and throw in some beans and whatever salad veg there is in the fridge.

I don't really pack a lunch for myself (not working!), but I make one for my husband. His favorites include:

- Cheesesteak. Sautee onions and bell peppers, then some seitan strips in soy sauce, load those on to a baguette/ciabatta/hero roll/whatever with nayo and mustard, top with daiya, wrap in foil, and bake for ~20 minutes
- Po' Vegan. (This is a mix of the VontheCheap and VCon recipes) Make a dredge of cornmeal, flour, and cajun seasoning, coat pressed tofu slices in it, pan fry.. Put these on a roll with nayo, mustard, and some pickled jalapeno slices. Wrap in foil, send on way.
- Wing Sammich - I bake gardein fingers or 3-step-panko-breaded marinated tofu triangles, then toss those in prepared wing sauce, put those on a bun with nayo and cucumber slices or lettuce..
- Paninis of all kinds
- Sushi lunch: I like to do spicy seitan rolls (chopped seitan with nayo and sriracha, with sushi rice and a soy wrapper) and inari since they're so easy.. if I'm ambitious enough to do a bento type thing I use some of the recipes from Vegan Lunch Box, including the potato salad balls and the baked sweet tofu omelet thing whose name I've forgotten.
- Gyros: I make my own gyro meat (loosely based on the steamed seitan sausages, but different seasonings), put that on pitas with cucumber and tomato slices, and make a cucumber sauce with nayo and soygurt in a separate container.

Wow, I am like an ad for nayonnaise.

That all sounds fantastic. I'm definitely using some of your ideas.

Today, I brought leftover soup. Thai soup of some sort, I can't remember the name of it, but it is yummy! I'm worried it might not be enough food so I'll probably save it for tomorrow and go get a burrito today... I haven't eaten since lunch yesterday and I'm really hungry!

I had homemade brown bread, sheese and homemade coleslaw sandwiches, with some salad (lettuce, tomato, red onion, cucumber). Very tasty!

feijoada (made with tvp) from Viva Vegan! over cilantro-lime brown rice. i just wish i had remembered 1/2 an avocado to smash up and enjoy on top.

A little caesar salad with homemade croutons and red pepper, plus a bagel and some tofutti cream cheese.
An orange and baby carrots for snacking.

I actually brought lunch today: AFR upside down shepherds pie. The microwave line is too long and we only have 20 minutes to eat, so I have to eat it cold,must its still yummy.

Broccopots with baked salt and pepper tofu, and steamed asparagus with goddess dressing.

Mixed green salad, vinaigrette, and leftover Caribbean Sweet Potato Gratin (Moosewood New Classics -- sweet potatoes, black beans, spinach, rice, coconut milk with cornmeal topping). Plus a couple of baby clementines.

Leftover veggie potpie stew, hummus and ww pita chips, pumpkin spice bread

$10

I took rice pudding, kidney bean mole with quinoa and smoky split pea soup.

I'm trying to be better at bringing my lunch. It is hard for me to not be lazy and buy lunch though, the co-op is a couple blocks away from my office. Hopefully reading about all the yummy things you all bring I will get motivated and bring food rather than spending 10 bucks a day at the co-op.

This weekend I cooked, so I have leftovers. Today I had leftover broccoli, onions, chickpeas, and garlic (roasted with za'atar), dolmas, and pita. I'm going to have pita and hummus for a snack later, and an apple.

Tomorrow I will probably have leftover fideo. I need to figure out something to eat with it though.

As a grad student with an internship and classes, I need to pack lunch 4-5 days per week, dinner once a week, plus lots of snacks!

Today: soy yogurt & flax and a banana for breakfast; leftover chili & cornbread and choc. soy milk for lunch; and snacks of blackberries and a Larabar if I get hungry later.

I went through a long habit of Tofurkey sandwiches (w/ veganaise, mustard, lettuce, tomato, & pickles on wheat bread) but got tired of it, and now try to cook a lot for dinner so I can bring leftovers. Chili and stir-fry are my go to options, but I want to start making soup more, as well as casserole-like things (baked mac & cheese w/ brocolli, lasagna, etc). And I bought a case of Amy's lentil soup at Costo for those days I don't have leftovers. I like to try to bring hummus and veggies often, as it's a good, quick snack.

I have leftover Moroccan Tangine from VWAV (first time making it last night = YUM.) and some pita and hummus

also an apple, banana, and some instant oatmeal for breakfast/snacks.

Today I brought leftovers from our Vine and Dine adventure. It was so good...twice. Chile Grilled Tofu with Avocado-Tomatillo Sauce from candle 79. My co workers were totes jealous.

PICS HERE

My current rotation of lunches:

Corn and edamame salad
Bread rolls or sandwiches with baba ganoush or ajvar (Often I just bring the spread and buy bread on the way to work)
Pita with TVP döner kebab and garlic sauce (heated in toaster)
Chickpea cutlets and lettuce
Tortilla wraps and lettuce salad
Lots of leftover dinner

I almost always carry a small box with almonds and other nuts in my bag, which come in handy when I suddenly want to eat (which happens often) or when I'm fainting because I'm late with dinner. They fill me up really well and give me energy to keep going a little longer.

I try to bring some kind of fruit too, usually apples, because almost the only way I will eat a decent portion of fruit is when I have nothing else to eat, or if it's the expensive kind, like berries, which I don't want to buy in winter.

I had leftover tempeh helper today with some broccoli mixed in and a honeycrisp apple.