Vegetarian Pack for Lunch Recipes - Cookie and Kate https://cookieandkate.com/category/food-recipes/pack-for-lunch/ Whole Foods and Vegetarian Recipe Blog Thu, 15 Aug 2024 19:21:48 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.6.1 https://cookieandkate.com/images/2020/11/cropped-favicon-32x32.png Vegetarian Pack for Lunch Recipes - Cookie and Kate https://cookieandkate.com/category/food-recipes/pack-for-lunch/ 32 32 Seaweed Salad https://cookieandkate.com/seaweed-salad-recipe/?adt_ei=*|EMAIL|* https://cookieandkate.com/seaweed-salad-recipe/#comments Thu, 15 Aug 2024 18:57:43 +0000 https://cookieandkate.com/?p=42817 This seaweed salad is colorful, delicious, and boldly flavored with sesame dressing. If you enjoy seaweed salads at Japanese restaurants, try this fun twist on the concept.…

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seaweed salad recipe

This seaweed salad is colorful, delicious, and boldly flavored with sesame dressing. If you enjoy seaweed salads at Japanese restaurants, try this fun twist on the concept. Many prepared seaweed salads are colored with food dyes, but this one obtains its lively color from veggies.

If you’re relatively new to seaweed, like I am, this salad offers a great introduction. It calls for arame, which has a more mild and sweet flavor compared to other seaweed varieties. The crisp textures of cabbage and bell pepper, combined with soy sauce and ginger, contrast beautifully with the seaweed.

seaweed salad ingredients

This salad is the perfect way to incorporate nutritious seaweed into your diet. Seaweed’s nutritional benefits vary depending on the specific variety, but they are often a good source of fiber, iodine, potassium and magnesium, among others. I try to consume a wide variety of whole foods, so seaweed is a welcome addition.

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Crispy Roasted Chickpeas https://cookieandkate.com/roasted-chickpeas-recipe/?adt_ei=*|EMAIL|* https://cookieandkate.com/roasted-chickpeas-recipe/#comments Thu, 11 Apr 2024 21:25:58 +0000 https://cookieandkate.com/?p=42176 Want to roast chickpeas that are actually crispy? You’re in the right place. I’ve cracked the code, and I’m here to share it with you. These roasted…

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crispy roasted chickpeas recipe

Want to roast chickpeas that are actually crispy? You’re in the right place. I’ve cracked the code, and I’m here to share it with you. These roasted chickpeas are a delightful snack rich in protein and fiber. They’re also great sprinkled over hummus and salads.

To be honest, I never loved roasted chickpeas until I learned how to make them this way. They were always just ok—warm and lightly crisp on the outside but unchanged on the inside. They didn’t feel worth the effort when chickpeas warmed on the stove are nice already.

chickpeas

These roasted chickpeas are legitimately so gloriously crisp that they are popcorn-level irresistible. In fact, they’re so crisp throughout that you should serve them with a drink to help wash them down.

The trick is in the method. I found some helpful clues in a New York Times recipe by Colu Henry and tweaked the method from there. It took ten tries to ensure we had landed on the very best technique, and I found several fun flavor variations along the way. Here we go!

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Veggie Black Bean Enchiladas https://cookieandkate.com/vegetarian-enchiladas-recipe/?adt_ei=*|EMAIL|* https://cookieandkate.com/vegetarian-enchiladas-recipe/#comments Fri, 15 Mar 2024 17:00:26 +0000 https://cookieandkate.com/?p=19625 These vegetarian enchiladas are a hearty and satisfying dinner. Make them on a weeknight and you’ll enjoy leftovers for lunch the next day. Or make it on…

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vegetarian enchiladas recipe

These vegetarian enchiladas are a hearty and satisfying dinner. Make them on a weeknight and you’ll enjoy leftovers for lunch the next day. Or make it on the weekend and invite friends over to make a party out of it! You could make a double batch and freeze the extras—you’ll find freezing instructions below.

You’ll love the fresh filling in these enchiladas, made of sautéed bell pepper, broccoli, onion, spinach, black beans and warming spices. These enchiladas are nicely cheesy, but not overwhelmingly cheesy like many restaurants make them.

vegetarian enchilada ingredients

This enchilada recipe has become quite popular since I published it nearly eight years ago. I used my spinach artichoke enchiladas as a blueprint and covered them with my go-to homemade enchilada sauce, of course. They’re just fantastic and I hope you’ll give them a try, if you haven’t already.

If you’ve never made enchiladas before, you can do it! You’ll find a detailed recipe, step-by-step photos, and an instructional video below.

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Fajita Veggie & Halloumi Bowls https://cookieandkate.com/fajita-veggie-halloumi-bowls/?adt_ei=*|EMAIL|* https://cookieandkate.com/fajita-veggie-halloumi-bowls/#comments Tue, 27 Feb 2024 22:32:03 +0000 https://cookieandkate.com/?p=42016 These hearty bowls feature roasted fajita veggies and halloumi cheese over beans and cilantro-lime rice. This recipe makes an amazing vegetarian dinner! I’m so excited to share…

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Vegetarian halloumi fajita bowl with black beans, rice, avocado and tomato

These hearty bowls feature roasted fajita veggies and halloumi cheese over beans and cilantro-lime rice. This recipe makes an amazing vegetarian dinner! I’m so excited to share this recipe with you and hope the photos speak for themselves. This vibrant meal is almost too delicious for words to capture.

The bowls are a very abstract take on Mexican fajitas, which typically feature strips of bell pepper and onion cooked with steak, served with tortillas and toppings on the side. These roasted fajita veggies offer similar flavor and texture.

Halloumi cheese hails from Cyprus, an island country in the Mediterranean—far, far away from Mexico! I love halloumi because it offers a salty, creamy, chewy and almost meat-like texture once roasted. I’ve used it in place of bacon to make vegetarian BLTs. Conveniently, the veggies and cheese roast in the oven simultaneously on separate pans.

halloumi fajita bowl ingredients

While you can absolutely serve these components with tortillas, I felt that the flavors shined more over black beans and cilantro-lime rice. The recipe for that component comes from my cookbook, Love Real Food. Try the Grilled Veggie Skewers with Avocado Chimichurri Sauce on page 160 once it’s grilling weather outside!

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Spinach Artichoke Lasagna https://cookieandkate.com/spinach-artichoke-lasagna-recipe/?adt_ei=*|EMAIL|* https://cookieandkate.com/spinach-artichoke-lasagna-recipe/#comments Thu, 08 Feb 2024 20:01:37 +0000 https://cookieandkate.com/?p=15880 Ever tried artichoke in lasagna? If not, you’ve been missing out. This vegetarian recipe is freshly flavored, hearty and cheesy, but not too heavy. It’s a marvelous…

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slice of spinach artichoke lasagna

Ever tried artichoke in lasagna? If not, you’ve been missing out. This vegetarian recipe is freshly flavored, hearty and cheesy, but not too heavy. It’s a marvelous option for date night at home or a special Sunday dinner.

This spinach and artichoke lasagna recipe has been one of my personal favorites for nearly a decade, and it has raving reviews. Today, I’m sharing it again with new photos and a step-by-step video. You’ll also find plenty of serving suggestions below to round out your meal.

spinach artichoke lasagna ingredients

I originally created this recipe for our friend Scott. He came to the blog looking for a lasagna recipe to cook for his wife, Sara, and I had nothing to offer! This recipe formed the backbone for my Best Vegetable Lasagna and Vegan Lasagna, so if you have enjoyed those, you’ll certainly love this one.

This recipe taught me the beauty of no-boil lasagna noodles, which are so much easier and quicker to work with. It also features a simple, no-cook, diced tomato sauce with basil and garlic that tastes so fresh. Try it, and you’ll see!

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Southwestern Kale Power Salad https://cookieandkate.com/southwestern-kale-power-salad/?adt_ei=*|EMAIL|* https://cookieandkate.com/southwestern-kale-power-salad/#comments Fri, 12 Jan 2024 21:00:53 +0000 https://cookieandkate.com/?p=15474 This hearty salad features a few of my all-time favorite ingredients. Here we have massaged kale, quinoa, spiced sweet potatoes, and black beans served with a dollop…

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Southwestern Kale Power Salad with Sweet Potato, Quinoa & Avocado Sauce

This hearty salad features a few of my all-time favorite ingredients. Here we have massaged kale, quinoa, spiced sweet potatoes, and black beans served with a dollop of creamy avocado sauce. I added crumbled feta and toasted pepitas for good measure.

I’d cook with only these ingredients if it weren’t for diversity’s sake. This texture-rich vegetarian salad packs great for lunch. If you like to meal prep for the week, this is an excellent candidate. Given the number of components, this is not the quickest recipe around, but it’s absolutely work the effort.

southwestern kale power salad ingredients

This recipe has been a reader favorite since it was originally published in 2015 (really, nine years ago?). I developed it during a month-long stay in Austin, Texas with my friend Ali. You could probably say that the Southwestern vibes influenced the recipe.

Today, this salad is getting fresh photos and some slight revisions. Enjoy!

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Lemony Kale Salad https://cookieandkate.com/lemon-kale-salad-recipe/?adt_ei=*|EMAIL|* https://cookieandkate.com/lemon-kale-salad-recipe/#comments Tue, 05 Dec 2023 19:37:04 +0000 https://cookieandkate.com/?p=41581 Trust me, you need this lemony kale salad recipe. It might not look like much at first glance, but this hearty green salad is boldly flavored and…

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simple kale salad recipe

Trust me, you need this lemony kale salad recipe. It might not look like much at first glance, but this hearty green salad is boldly flavored and just what you need to round out tonight’s dinner.

This simple kale salad features finely shredded Tuscan kale tossed in a bold, lemony dressing with freshly-grated pecorino romano or Parmesan cheese.

Tuscan kale goes by many names—you might know it as lacinato kale, dinosaur kale or cavolo nero (literally “black cabbage” in Italian). It’s less curly than standard kale, which makes it easier to stack, roll and thinly slice. Once prepared, this salad is almost slaw-like in texture. It’s really irresistible.

kale salad ingredients

This food blog has no less than 22 kale salad recipes already, plus this kale salad roundup with tips. But the collection truly isn’t complete without this one, which draws heavy inspiration from the mother of all kale salads created by Joshua McFadden in 2007.

I always order a salad like this one when we eat at True Foods Kitchen. The main difference between this salad and the aforementioned kale salads is that this recipe omits the bread crumbs. I tried with and without, and the breadcrumbs didn’t do a whole lot in terms of flavor and don’t keep well on the salad for leftovers.

You’ll find the recipe and instructional video below. I’m also sharing my best tips that will help you create consistently flavored batches of salad, which is honestly tricky!

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Pumpkin Mac and Cheese https://cookieandkate.com/pumpkin-mac-and-cheese-recipe/?adt_ei=*|EMAIL|* https://cookieandkate.com/pumpkin-mac-and-cheese-recipe/#comments Wed, 11 Oct 2023 18:18:51 +0000 https://cookieandkate.com/?p=41443 This creamy pumpkin mac and cheese recipe comes together in one pot. It’s really quite easy to make. You don’t even drain the pasta cooking water. Thanks…

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pumpkin mac and cheese

This creamy pumpkin mac and cheese recipe comes together in one pot. It’s really quite easy to make. You don’t even drain the pasta cooking water.

Thanks to the pumpkin, this dish is extra creamy, golden and flavorful. Naturally, it’s lighter than your typical homemade mac and cheese. On cool fall evenings, this mac and cheese will warm you up without putting you to sleep.

This easy autumnal pasta recipe will delight the whole family. Leftovers reheat well for the next few days, and even freeze well enough for our toddler’s future meals.

pumpkin mac and cheese ingredients

This recipe is a derivative of my Butternut Squash Mac and Cheese recipe, which has been a big hit. While that recipe relies on roasted butternut squash for depth of flavor, this recipe calls for canned pumpkin purée.

To make up for the roasted flavor, this recipe benefits from deeply toasting spices in butter—pumpkin spice blend, garlic powder and onion powder. Then, we cook a can of pumpkin purée in the flavored butter for a minute before adding pasta and water. Later on, we’ll stir in some cream cheese, sharp cheddar cheese and Parmesan. The end result is magical.

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Chimichurri Chickpeas https://cookieandkate.com/chimichurri-chickpeas-recipe/?adt_ei=*|EMAIL|* https://cookieandkate.com/chimichurri-chickpeas-recipe/#comments Tue, 03 Oct 2023 19:08:41 +0000 https://cookieandkate.com/?p=41415 These chimichurri chickpeas are bold, hearty and zippy. This simple dish features tender chickpeas, crumbled feta cheese, and homemade chimichurri sauce. It’s ready in about fifteen minutes.…

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chimichurri chickpeas recipe

These chimichurri chickpeas are bold, hearty and zippy. This simple dish features tender chickpeas, crumbled feta cheese, and homemade chimichurri sauce. It’s ready in about fifteen minutes.

Chimichurri verde hails from Argentina and is typically served on steak, though I love it in many other preparations. It’s a bright herbed sauce made with fresh parsley, garlic, red onion, red pepper flakes, red wine vinegar, and olive oil.

While traditionally made with a mortar and pestle, my preparation method uses the food processor as much as possible, so it comes together very quickly.

chimichurri chickpeas ingredients

You could call this recipe is a collision of leftovers or, better yet, a happy coincidence. This summer, we invited friends over to grill and I made my chimichurri sauce to go with our meal. I was thrilled when one of our friends took his first bite and demanded the recipe.

We had a bit of sauce leftover, so I stashed it in the refrigerator near some extra chickpeas. The combination proved fantastic once I added some creamy, tangy feta cheese.

While the sauce is Argentinean, this dish’s flavor profile is more recognizably Mediterranean. I love this lively side dish, and I hope you do, too.

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Gaby’s Pasta with Peas and Pesto https://cookieandkate.com/pasta-with-peas-recipe/?adt_ei=*|EMAIL|* https://cookieandkate.com/pasta-with-peas-recipe/#comments Tue, 15 Aug 2023 22:28:27 +0000 https://cookieandkate.com/?p=41269 Bookmark this simple pasta dish with peas and pesto! It is perfect for busy weeknights and you’ll be glad to have it. I’m so glad to have…

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Pasta with Peas and Pesto

Bookmark this simple pasta dish with peas and pesto! It is perfect for busy weeknights and you’ll be glad to have it. I’m so glad to have found this recipe in Gaby Dalkin’s latest book, Take It Easy. She sent me the book when it came out last fall and this recipe has saved us from ordering take-out several nights since then.

This pasta with peas and pesto comes together in under 30 minutes with basic ingredients and minimal fuss. It’s designed for frozen peas and it’s great with store-bought pesto. I can make this recipe with a toddler running around the kitchen, which really says something, if you know what I mean. Grace enjoyed the leftovers for lunch today.

pasta with peas ingredients

I love how this recipe comes together with just one pot and one bowl. To make it, you’ll bring a large pot of salted water to boil for the noodles. In the meantime, you can quickly defrost frozen peas in a colander by running cool water over them in the sink.

The peas taste so fresh and nice because they are not cooked. Gaby simply instructs us to whisk together a sauce of olive oil, lemon, garlic and Pecorino Romano cheese. Then we mash up about half of the peas into the sauce, leaving the rest whole. Add the warm pasta to temper the garlic, stir in some pesto, and your dinner is almost ready to go. Thank you for this one, Gaby!

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