Breakfast · Desserts · Savory Recipes · 2 comments ·

Vegan School Lunches


School lunches may be a bit different this year. Whether your kids are at home on video learning calls or back in the classroom, there will be less hot lunches and much more modified lunch schedules to help keep kids safe. With that in mind, we have some great, easy to make and store vegan lunch recipes for your kiddos (and even you).


Easy To Store School Lunches

Luckily reusable lunch bags are much more advanced today. They are built to keep foods warm or cold for longer periods of time. While they cannot replace the refrigerator, they do help keep your foods from going bad. It is important to make sure your recipes use fruits and veggies that can withstand not being in the fridge for an extended period of time. 


Veggies and Cashew Dip

Veggie Ingredients:

  • Cucumber slices
  • Carrot sticks
  • Celery sticks
  • Pepper slices (red, green, orange, or yellow)

Directions:

  1. Wash veggies
  2. Cut veggies into slices or sticks
  3. Dry in a paper towel


Cashew Dip Ingredients:

  • 2 cups roasted cashews
  • 1 1/4 cup water or broth
  • 2 TBSP cup olive oil
  • Pinch of sea salt
  • Paprika

Directions:

  1. Place cashews in a bowl. Cover with water and soak for about 2 hours. Drain and rinse thoroughly.
  2. Place soaked cashews in the bowl of a food processor or blender with the water, turmeric, olive oil, paprika and salt. Puree until very, very smooth. Thin out with more water to desired consistency. 
  3. Serve and enjoy! 
  4. Store in the fridge for 3-4 days or freeze.

For a delicious fruit dip made with our Coconut Cloud Vanilla Creamer check out this recipe.


Zucchini Noodle Salad

Ingredients:

  • Zucchini
  • Cherry Tomatoes
  • Corn – You can use fresh, canned, or frozen.
  • Pine Nuts
  • Lemon
  • Basil
  • Vegan Parmesan

Directions:

  1. Spiralize zucchini noodles or use your favorite store-bought brand.
  2. Sauté the zucchini noodles in light olive oil, garlic, and sea salt to taste.
  3. Add cherry tomatoes, corn, and basil and sauté for an additional 3 minutes.
  4. Remove from heat and sprinkle vegan parmesan cheese and lemon over the noodles and veggies.
  5. Refrigerate to cool


Apple Butter Sandwiches

Ingredients:

  • 2 small apples, cored and cut into ½-inch thick rounds
  • 1 teaspoon lemon juice
  • 3 tablespoons peanut or almond butter
  • 2 tablespoons semisweet dark chocolate chips (optional)
  • 3 tablespoons granola
  • Dash of cinnamon sugar 
  • honey or caramel syrup (optional)

Directions

  1. Core the apple then slice them into thick rounds.
  2. Use a small cookie cutter and remove a circle of fruit from the center. 
  3. Brush the apple slices lightly with some lemon juice to prevent them from turning brown.
  4. Spread one side of half of the apple slices with peanut or almond butter then sprinkle with chocolate chips and granola. Top with remaining apple slices, pressing down gently to make the sandwiches.
  5. Serve immediately, or keep refrigerated until ready to serve.

Brownies with Almond Butter Frosting topped with Strawberries

For a tasty treat, we are sharing one of our favorite recipes. Check out this great recipe for brownies or choose one of our other four favorites from 5 Vitamin-Enriched Vegan Desserts.


For the brownies:


For the frosting:

  • 1/2 cup of almond butter
  • 3 tablespoons of cocoa powder
  • a few drops of stevia
  • almond milk

Directions:

  1. Mix the almond flour, hot cocoa powder, baking powder, salt, sweetener and melted coconut oil until fully incorporated.
  2. In a baking pan, spread the batter out and smoothen the top. Bake for 25 minutes and cool.
  3. Mix all the ingredients for the frosting and spread on top of the brownies. Top with some chopped fruits of your choosing.

These favorites are kid-tested and received two thumbs up. Of course, there are many other options out there. Keep in mind you want options that can easily travel in a lunch box and withstand being out of the fridge for a few hours unless you are remote learning throughout the year.



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