5 Quick & Simple Colorful Vegan Lunches
Eat The Rainbow with these fun, easy recipes!
Whenever I am curating new recipes, I always have color in mind. I want to be able to make yummy recipes accessible to all so I try to reuse similar ingredients in different ways for a cheaper deal while maintaining palatability and nutrition.
Below you will find 5 vegan recipes that you can have for lunch or dinner! The vegetables and fruits used are all in season and perfect for a summer afternoon.
Miso Peanut Cucumber Noodle Salad
RECIPE (Makes 4 servings)
Ingredients:
- 8 oz organic brown rice noodles
- 2 large cucumbers or 4 baby cucumbers, diced
- ½ a bunch of green onion, thinly sliced
- Sesame seeds for topping
For the sauce
- ¼ cup of peanut butter
- 1 tbsp of miso paste
- 3 tbsp of rice vinegar
- 2tbsp of sriracha
- 1/2 tbsp of soy sauce or coconut aminos
- 1 tsp of sesame oil
- 2 cloves of garlic, minced
- ½ tsp of fresh ginger
- 2-4 tbsp of water, to thin
Cook noodles according to the package instructions. Do not overcook the noodles or they will become mushy. Drain and rinse in cold water. Set aside to drain.
To make the sauce, whisk together all ingredients until a smooth sauce forms, adding water to thin.
In a large bowl, mix together the cucumber, green onion, cooled noodles, and sauce. Taste and add more sriracha for extra spice, or salt as needed. Leftovers can store for up to 3 days.
2. Vegan Bahn Mi Sandwich
RECIPE: (Makes 1 Serving)
Ingredients:
- 2 slices of whole grain sourdough or bread of your choice
- 1 whole cucumber peeled and sliced thinly
- 1 whole carrot peeled
- ½ an avocado
- Squeeze of lime
- 4 slices of tempeh
- 1 tbsp of vegan mayo
- 1 tsp of sriracha
- Salt and Pepper
Toast the bread slices and place them on a plate. Mix the mayo and sriracha in a separate bowl and then smooth onto both pieces of the bread. Place the cucumber slices, carrot peels onto the bread. Cut the avocado into slices and add lime squeeze, salt, and pepper. Add the avocado to the bread followed by the cooked tempeh slices. Put the sandwich together and enjoy.
3. Teriyaki Tofu Rainbow Bowl
RECIPE: (Makes 1 Serving)
Ingredients:
- Brown rice
- 2 carrots
- ½ a purple head of cabbage
- Mixed greens
- Extra-firm tofu
- Teriyaki
- Cucumber
- ½ avocado
- Sesame seeds
- Cilantro
- Green onion
- Salt and pepper
- Olive oil
Start cooking the brown rice according to instructions on the package. Pan sear the tofu for 4-5 minutes each side with olive oil and salt and pepper. Once decently crispy add the teriyaki sauce while still in the pan and cook for a few minutes on low-medium heat. Shave the carrots and purple cabbage in the meantime and put aside. Prep the green onions and cucumber as well by chopping and put aside.
Once the brown rice is cooked and cooled, chop up the cilantro and add to rice and squeeze in half a lime. Stir until mixed.
Start building the bowl by adding the mixed greens, cilantro rice, shaved carrots, shaved purple cabbage, half the avocado, cucumber slices, and teriyaki tofu. Sprinkle the green onion and sesame seeds atop the bowl, serve cold and enjoy!
4. Broccoli Pineapple Summer Salad
RECIPE: (Makes 6 Servings)
Ingredients:
Dressing:
- ½ cup of raw unsalted cashews
- ¼ cup of water
- 2 tbsp of lemon juice
- 2 garlic cloves
- 4 tbsp of plant milk
- Salt and pepper
Salad:
- 1 cup of uncooked lentils
- 1 cup of uncooked quinoa
- 2 cups of chopped broccoli
- 1 red onion
- ½ a pineapple chopped
- Chopped romaine lettuce or arugula
Start cooking the lentils and quinoa according to package instructions. Finely chop up the broccoli, red onion, and lettuce. Chop the pineapple into small chunks.
Soak the cashews in hot water for 15 minutes before adding to a blender or food processor with the rest of the sauce ingredients. Blend until smooth.
Add all ingredients to a bowl and stir to combine. Enjoy!
5. Tempeh Mushroom Microgreen Plate
RECIPE: (Makes 1 Serving)
Ingredients:
- 1 tbsp of olive oil
- 1 yellow onion, peeled and thinly chopped
- 2 cloves of garlic
- 1 package of shiitake mushrooms
- Salt and pepper
- 1 tbsp of Tamari
- Leftover cilantro-lime rice (from previous recipe)
- Leftover tempeh (from previous recipe)
- Microgreens or sprouts
- Cilantro
Pickled Red onion:
- 1 small red onion
- Apple cider vinegar
- Salt
Start by pickling your red onion using the recipe provided on this link. Cook the onion and garlic in a saucepan on medium heat until onion turns golden brown. Add the mushrooms and cook for 5 minutes, add the tamari and cook for an additional 3 minutes until mushrooms are also golden brown.
Plate the dish by add the rice, tempeh, mushroom onion mix, pickled red onions, and sprouts or microgreens on top. Squeeze some lime on the dish and enjoy!