Ideas? Vegan individually packed dinners that aren't

This is the front porch of our forum. Pull up a chair, and talk about whatever's on your mind.
SandiSAHM
Posts: 2263
Joined: Fri Aug 28, 2015 11:46 am
Location: Oklahoma

Ideas? Vegan individually packed dinners that aren't

Post by SandiSAHM »

...sandwiches and/or salad?

I've been a vegan off and on, you'd think this would be simpler...

Due to pandemic rules, I have to provide individual meals to a party of vegans for a special event. NOT sandwiches or salads (those were taken for another meal the same day by the person who decided I should be charged with the evening meal). The ability to heat is unlikely. Burritos were suggested but I have no idea how you'd get them warm OR how anything like lettuce / tomato could be put on them and the whole thing be expected NOT to get soggy. I sure don't want to give anyone food poisoning by having what's supposed to be "hot" NOT hot waiting around for hours.

I think I'm going to have to invest in containers, too, I have no where near enough individual containers to pack multiple items for multiple people :?
HappyDaze
Posts: 4186
Joined: Tue Oct 15, 2019 11:11 am

Re: Ideas? Vegan individually packed dinners that aren't

Post by HappyDaze »

Oh my goodness, you poor kid, I am stumped. Google? I'm with ya - I've been a vegetarian since I was 15 and I try to be vegan - succeeding probably 70-ish percent of the time - you would think this would be easier.
"All his life he tried to be a good person. Many times, however, he failed. After all, he was only human. He wasn't a dog."

Charles M. Schultz
User avatar
MackerelCat
Posts: 7258
Joined: Thu Aug 27, 2015 9:44 pm

Re: Ideas? Vegan individually packed dinners that aren't

Post by MackerelCat »

Something picnic-y like a cold bean salad, potato salad, as neither is a traditional salad and both are filling, with a corn muffin and a fruit cup.

I often make for my work lunches a corn and black bean salad with petite diced tomatoes and some seasoning.
Mackie
SandiSAHM
Posts: 2263
Joined: Fri Aug 28, 2015 11:46 am
Location: Oklahoma

Re: Ideas? Vegan individually packed dinners that aren't

Post by SandiSAHM »

You folks are smart & have got me thinking... If it were WINTER... I can vegan soup and stew (and muffins / cornbread - GF and vegan, even) with the best of them. But it's going to be 100+ with the heat index that day. The group will be indoors, but still, who wants hot food on a hot day? Especially dealing with packing foods for individuals?

3-bean salad and potato salad. I can do really good vegan potato salad. I've never done a 3-bean salad, I'll look that up.

I just found a non-GF vegan chicken strip (Morningstar Farms). I wonder how those would work in a 'cold' burrito... I could add some dressed quinoa, shredded carrots, shredded lettuce...maybe a little mix of both red and green cabbage. I wonder what would work in the dressing, I haven't tasted a gluten-based Morningstar Farm chicken substitute in ages, I hear they changed the spice they put on them.

Hmm.

The funniest part? I have a now full-time M-F job and have 'til Saturday to deliver :lol:
SandiSAHM
Posts: 2263
Joined: Fri Aug 28, 2015 11:46 am
Location: Oklahoma

Re: Ideas? Vegan individually packed dinners that aren't

Post by SandiSAHM »

MackerelCat wrote: Wed Jun 16, 2021 8:27 pm I often make for my work lunches a corn and black bean salad with petite diced tomatoes and some seasoning.
This sounds refreshing.... will you please share the recipe?
frugalmom
Posts: 1710
Joined: Fri Aug 28, 2015 10:52 pm

Re: Ideas? Vegan individually packed dinners that aren't

Post by frugalmom »

SandiSAHM wrote: Wed Jun 16, 2021 6:12 pm ...sandwiches and/or salad?

I've been a vegan off and on, you'd think this would be simpler...

Due to pandemic rules, I have to provide individual meals to a party of vegans for a special event. NOT sandwiches or salads (those were taken for another meal the same day by the person who decided I should be charged with the evening meal). The ability to heat is unlikely. Burritos were suggested but I have no idea how you'd get them warm OR how anything like lettuce / tomato could be put on them and the whole thing be expected NOT to get soggy. I sure don't want to give anyone food poisoning by having what's supposed to be "hot" NOT hot waiting around for hours.

I think I'm going to have to invest in containers, too, I have no where near enough individual containers to pack multiple items for multiple people :?
I really do not know the difference between vegan and vegetarian so I do not know if this fits the bill, but recently I had a soba noodle dish that was really good. Soba noodles are thicker and tougher and can handle better without getting soggy like regular noodles. You can add shredded or julienned carrots, long shredded zucchini and julienned cucumbers. You can add tofu too (just as is or slightly stir fried) or you can use fried tofu and cut into strips and stir fry with maybe snow peas. I am not sure what they put in it but it tasted like a dish I make with a bit of rice vinegar, soy sauce, slight sugar if you want(optional) and sesame oil. I also add fresh slivers or diced green onions over this and toasted sesame seeds.

Other noodle dishes I have made are with spaghetti noodles I make a cold peanut butter Thai dish and although I add chicken in mine you can totally do it vegetarian-I cut at a diagonal carrots and cut this in half, celery the same at a diagonal (not in half though), other vegetables I have used broccoli or Chinese broccoli called guilan or baby bok choy, zucchini, snow peas or snap peas, miniature baby corn(canned and cut in half if whole), these vegetables could all be stirfried. You can add tofu to this as well. Note that you do not have to use all the vegetables, just choose what you want. &#@! mushrooms sliced would be good to add to the stirfry too if you want. At the very end you can add fresh green onions and fresh cold raw julienned cucumbers. You can use the same sauce as with the soba or you can add hot water mixed with peanut butter(or sesame sauce/tahini) to form a creamy sauce (I use water but you can also use coconut milk for a slight sweet sauce if you want). Use enough to coat the noodles and you want it creamy. You can add sesame oil to this if you want. This will hold up room temp or for a hot day outside. For meat lovers, you can add sliced ham or shredded chicken (for other people who may want this recipe and are not vegan). The same dish can also be a chow mein dish.

Corn fritters, corn black bean salad with green bell pepper (cold salad or you can add corn tortillas), a nacho or tortilla bar filled with various types of beans, corn, diced zucchini (oh btw I like to sometimes dice zucchini and saute it and put it into the corn bean salad), bean and cheese burritos wrapped in foil and we used to have a volleyball team member bring that each individually wrapped in foil and put it in a cooler to insulate it and another one used to bring like those portable ovens which was cool-never saw that before-but I would not spend much on stuff like that.

Indian themed-samosas, or potato tikki, chaat which has garbanzo beans and yogurt based(you would have to mix it there or mix it and put it in tupperware at least and into a cooler)-you can also make one that does not use yogurt but just garbanzo beans with diced tomatoes, cucumbers, sliced radishes, chile(optional) and Indian spices (like coriander, curry, garam masalas, cumin or cumin seeds,salt and chile). You can make a garbanzo bean rice or a rice with frozen mixed vegetables in curry powder to make it a yellow color (note you can just use vegetables or use dried or fresh apricot to add to the rice when cooking it or golden raisins)and add the raita as a side or over the rice-very cooling with the yogurt raita.That should hold and could be eaten at room temp or cooler. Naan or pita or pita chips or raw vegetables with hummus of different kinds, raisins, figs, yogurts with green onion or chives or dip like mixes. Dahls, today I made an eggplant curry which turned out good or a opo squash with dahl mix and serve over rice or eat with naan.

Pancit (Filipino) like rice stick noodles/bihon with celery, carrots, any vegetable like I had for the sob or peanut noodles. Vegetarian eggrolls or lumpia, fried rice. You can have an Asian inspired theme mix with Thai coconut curries with fried tofu, carrots, mushroom, mini corn, red and green bell pepper, broccoli,etc. They also have a corn fritter dish too. Pineapple fried rice with frozen mixed vegetables or peas and carrots,corn at least. Spring rolls with vermicelli noodles and mango slices, mint.

Italian-(in winter, I would do a pasta fajioli soup) eggplant rollatini and make a mushroom stuffed one maybe different types of mushroom with tomato sauce, a penne bake or Italian pasta salad (I make mine with the rotini, add the dressing in the marinated artichoke and marinated mushroom jars, red onion, green bell pepper diced,black olives,etc. Or Olive Garden type salad (same as what I put in my pasta salad)Rosemary garlic rolls or garlic knots. Vegetable spread tray with dips. Fresh fruit tray. Other ideas vegetarian lasagna.

I was thinking more a buffet/potuck, but a lot of these can also be made into individual containers. Baked or cooked as a big dish and spooned out to each container.
Last edited by frugalmom on Wed Jun 16, 2021 11:13 pm, edited 2 times in total.
Post Reply