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Recipes for Vegetarian School Lunches

Packing school lunch for vegetarian teens is easy, using popular as well as nutritious foods such as hummus. High protein hummus is quick to prepare in the morning while your teens get ready for school. Two simple hummus recipes are included for your convenience. Sandwich recipes which use hummus are simple to create, adding in favorite veggies, cheeses and condiments.

How to Pack lunch with Vegetarian Sandwiches

Start your adventures in providing delicious, nutritious school meals by having a few basic supplies in your cupboard. Make sure you have 15 oz cans of garbanzo beans, also known as chickpeas, to use in your hummus recipes. Also have on hand 15 oz cans of Black Beans, to make popular and pretty Black Bean Hummus

Next, make a batch of Hummus. Puree together:

1 15 oz can garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained
1 Teaspoon minced garlic (1clove) of garlic (to your taste)
2 Tablespoons of toasted sesame seeds (or 2 T tahini)
1-3 Tablespoons of Lemon Juice (depending on how thick or thin you like your hummus)

Build the sandwich by spreading cup of the hummus on the inside of one-half of a pita pocket bread. The quality of the bread can make a big difference, so be sure to use fresh pita. Whole wheat pita is very nice with hummus, but be sure to begin with pita that your children like. Next add cheese. Feta cheese has good affinity with chickpeas, adding flavor as well as increasing the protein in the sandwich. Finally, add condiments and fillings. One lovely combination is a sprinkle of ground ginger and a filling of shredded carrots and thinly sliced apples. Another delicious sandwich is filled with shredded spinach and thinly sliced spearmint.

Egg Salad Sandwiches are also popular with teens. You can boost the wow! factor as well as nutrition by adding a black bean hummus spread, veggies and herbs to your basic egg salad. Make black bean hummus by pureeing together one rinsed and drained 15 oz can of black beans, 1 teaspoon of minced garlic and 1-3 tablespoons of lime juice. Spread cup of the black bean puree on the inside of one-half of a pita pocket bread. Add finely chopped hard-boiled egg, sliced avocado and tomatoes, and a sprinkling of minced flat leaf parsley and scallions.

Complete the school day meal

Add delicious extras such as apples or oranges, and simple desserts. While school meals are improving in nutrition and appeal in many school districts, finding quality vegetarian meals is still a challenge. You can support your teens desire to be vegetarian and help make sure they get the healthy nutrition they need by starting to pack lunch. Start with the simple hummus recipes you have just read, try a couple of the sandwich recipes, and then enjoy conversations with your teens about their favorite fruits and veggies. Have fun experimenting. Please share your delicious results on holy-food.org.