Mr Lunch

April 11, 2010 10:36 PM

AWESOME VEGETARIAN LUNCHBOX COMBOS! I have decided it will be exciting to pack actual lunchboxes for uni. Help me with some lists of good things to go together. Both really simple and more elaborate menus please. Plus really cheap vs more expensive options.

I don't have kiddies so don't yet have a good brain for planning lunchboxes. But I am excited to make several lists of possible combinations!

Links for great lunchbox blogs are welcome too; I know they're out there but some are boring and/or carnivorous.

posted by KLF to Food & Drink (12 answers total)

Google "vegetarian bento," and you'll find lots of links to vegan and vegetarian bento makers' blogs.
posted by fairytale of los angeles at 10:39 PM on April 11, 2010

Baked tofu sandwiches with veganaise. Pack lettuce and tomato separately for extra-good sandwiches. I recommend sourdough bread - it seems to hold up well.

On the side: fruit salad. Dip any banana or apple slices in lemon juice to keep them from turning brown.
posted by amtho at 10:44 PM on April 11, 2010 [1 favorite]

Best answer: Vegan Lunchbox is pretty awesome. It can be a little exotic/crunchy sometimes, but she has some good ideas. And a couple of cookbooks, if you like what you find in the blog.
posted by cmgonzalez at 10:48 PM on April 11, 2010 [2 favorites]

Best answer: This recipe for Soba with Peanut Citrus sauce from Orangette is one of my favourite lunchbox meals. A lot of the recipes at Orangette make good leftovers, actually.
posted by embrangled at 11:03 PM on April 11, 2010 [2 favorites]

i was coming in to suggest vegan lunchbox. it really is awesome.
posted by nadawi at 11:28 PM on April 11, 2010

you can always make a yummy pasta salad or make fake turkey sammiches with the tofurkey slices they sell at the grocer's. i'm a big fan personally of the tomato soup + crackers + cheese snacky sort of lunch.
posted by wild like kudzu at 11:53 PM on April 11, 2010

in india, lunch is called a 'thali' and it's served with rice, chutney, mango pickle, several different kinds of curries and lentil dishes, and usually some flat-bread things that are like tortillas but called chapatis. very delicious. it sounds complicated, but you can get lemon / mango pickle at most asian stores in the condiments section (it's really awesome, if you like spicy foods). tortillas are also super easy to make, as well as rice. the hard part is just picking out the indian-style veggie and lentil recipes.
posted by ajarbaday at 12:14 AM on April 12, 2010 [2 favorites]

Best answer: The laptop lunchbox group on Flickr might inspire you.
posted by penguin pie at 2:25 AM on April 12, 2010

Check out Just Bento for lots of nifty lunchbox ideas. There are some meat recipes, but lots of veggie ones. And I think you can sort for just veggie recipes.
posted by Eyebrows McGee at 4:48 AM on April 12, 2010

Right now, I'm eating microwaved khichuri and spinach bhaji, both leftover from dinner yesterday.
posted by Ziggy500 at 5:19 AM on April 12, 2010

This is kind of tangential, but here's a lunchbox worth investing in, if you want to do this. They're leakproof, sturdy aluminum that takes a beating, strong clips to keep the lid in place. Bonehead and I both have one each, and they work great.

As for what to put in, there are some great ideas above (I have tiffin in my Sigg box today for example), but these tubs are great for last night's leftovers, bolstered with a green salad.
posted by LN at 6:44 AM on April 12, 2010 [1 favorite]

I agree that Just Bento is a good resource - I like this post on the basics of how to fill a bento box.

I also love Lunch in a Box. It's far from vegetarian, but the blogger uses all sorts of things to fill her bento boxes - plenty of Japanese food, but also dinner leftovers, cuisines from all over the world, pizza, sandwiches, etc. I think it will give you good ideas, even if you can't copy the bentos exactly.
posted by insectosaurus at 8:56 AM on April 12, 2010 [1 favorite]