When we’re going vegan, the biggest obstacle we see our students facing is deciding what to make for breakfast, lunch or dinner as a vegan. Having easy vegan menu ideas you can make again and again, or that you can think of when doing your weekly vegan meal prep, can be so helpful.

Today I’m sharing 5 of my current favorite vegan meal ideas in the hopes that they’ll inspire you to add more variety and new ideas to your cooking.

To give you more support when switching to a vegan diet, comprehensive vegan culinary training and hundreds of recipes all on video for the most delicious plant-based recipes, check out our vegan online cooking school My Brownble

Easy vegan lunch idea # 1: Vegan No-chicken salad stuffed pitas

Steps: 

1. Grill or sauté your favorite vegan chicken alternative, tofu, or previously steamed tempeh until golden brown.
2. Chop into bite-sized pieces and toss with celery, chopped walnuts, green onions, chives and if you like a savory-sweet combination, add some halved red seedless grapes (pineapple would also be delicious).
3. Toss with a quick dressing made by whisking together some eggless mayonnaise, non-dairy milk, apple cider vinegar, onion powder, salt and pepper and a bit of dijon mustard or grainy mustard if desired.
4. Warm up your pita pockets in the oven by lightly wetting them with damp hands, and pop them in the oven or toaster oven until warmed through.
5. Cut a slit at the top of your pita pockets and add the salad into the opening. Enjoy!

Easy vegan lunch idea # 2: Vegan temaki sushi hand rolls

Steps:

1. With any leftover rice (preferably sushi rice but brown rice works really well too), add some seasoned sushi rice vinegar (the kind that comes ready made and previously seasoned) and toss.
2. Add a thin layer of the rice on a nori sheet (the kind used for making sushi, I like to cut it into a square shape), leave one of the borders without rice for easy assembly.
3. Place the nori sheet so that it looks like a diamond in front of you, and in the center and sticking out towards the top, add strips of cucumber, carrot, avocado, green onion, and any leftover veggies you might want to use up, like roasted sweet potatoes, shiitake mushrooms, asparagus, leftover tofu or tempeh, etc.
4. Roll up your temaki so that it has the shape of an ice cream cone with the veggies sticking out on top. Lightly dampen the edge of the nori sheet you left without rice and close the cone. It might help to add a few grains of the rice as "glue" to close the cone as well.
5. Enjoy with some soy sauce on the side and sprinkle with sesame seeds for extra flavor.
   
   

Easy vegan lunch idea # 3: Vegan lentil soup, or split pea soup and avocado toast with sourdough bread and a sprinkle of nutritional yeast

Steps:

1. Make any delicious soup you love, or if you have a store-bought favorite for busy days, stock up on those. I Iove to make soups that have a protein component to round out the meal, which is why a split pea soup, minestrone or lentil soup are three delicious options. If making any other kind of soup like a creamy butternut squash soup, zucchini, tomato, broccoli, etc., make our crispy tofu croutons from our free tofu cooking online course and add those for a protein boost to top your soup.
2. Toast some sourdough bread (or your favorite kind).
3. Mash some avocado, add a squeeze of lemon or lime, salt and pepper and top your toast with it. Sprinkle lots of nutritional yeast on top.

Easy vegan lunch idea # 4: Mexican quinoa bowl

Steps:

1. Cook up some quinoa for the week ahead. I like to make a simple batch by cooking 1 part quinoa to 1 & 1/2 parts water (always rinse your quinoa before cooking it), adding some garlic powder (about 1 teaspoon per cup of quinoa), a pinch of dried or fresh thyme, two pinches of salt and a few cracks of black pepper. Bring everything up to a boil on high heat, then lower the heat to medium low, cover the pot and cook for 15 minutes or until the water has been absorbed and the quinoa is fluffy.
2. Top your quinoa bowl with some black beans, some corn, some pico de Gallo salsa, or chopped tomatoes if you're pressed for time. Add some grilled or roasted peppers and top everything with some jalapeño if you like the heat and plenty of avocado or guacamole.
3. You can assemble a few of these in advance for the next 2 days, adding the avocado at the last minute with a squeeze of lemon or lime.
4. Feel free to simplify the components and work, by using store-bought roasted peppers and canned black beans as a timesaver.

Easy vegan lunch idea # 5: Vegan caprese sandwich with pesto 

Steps:

1. I love a good sandwich for lunch, but a good caprese sandwich just hits it out of the park for me. Start by making a delicious pesto, like the one I teach you how to make in this video, or use a store-bought pesto that you love.
2. Assemble your sandwich using your favorite bread (mine is sourdough), some vegan mozzarella or the fresh mozzarella burrata style cheese from our how to make vegan cheese online course Melt (and part of our vegan online cooking school), some thinly sliced tomatoes, the pesto and a few fresh basil leaves if you have them and/or some arugula. Toast in a pan on both sides if desired, and enjoy.

Whether it's a bowl, a soup and toast combo, delicious sandwiches, an Asian inspired dish or anything else you might enjoy, remember that you can prepare many of the components during the weekend to save time throughout the week, and also use a combination of homemade and store-bought items to make life in the kitchen easier.

More ideas for quick and easy meals in coming weeks so stay tuned.