Quick, Easy & Plant Based Lunch Ideas

It has been quite the whirlwind this year traveling to and from Kelowna in snow storms, filming full time, photo shoots, LEO, JUSTIN … and dare I say … trying to get that body back!! My cousin Tori from Fraîche Nutrition and I have been talking about the difficulties of getting a quick, easy and healthy lunch now that we’re BOTH new moms and are back to work full time. You really start to cherish those extra few minutes in the day for simple things like feeding yourself!! SOOOO we have come up with THREE different lunch ideas for you that are nutritionist approved, plant-based, EASY and won’t take up too much of your precious time. I will let Tori take it from here …

It’s Tori here from Fraîche Nutrition!  The start of a new year marks a fresh beginning and for many, a whole whack of healthy eating resolutions. The Washington Post predicts that 2017 will see some strong food trends including eating more healthy fats, whole foods, and plant proteins: AMEN!

At this time of the year, you may be tempted to make some drastic changes to your diet, and many people cut out grains in an attempt to lose weight. And while I fully support reducing refined carbohydrate foods to improve your health (ie: white flour products, white rice, sugar etc), cutting out the grain group entirely isn’t the way to go.

Not all carbs are created equal. In fact, in North America research shows that we don’t eat ENOUGH whole grains, which has a profound impact on our health. Whole grains such as quinoa, oats, wheat, rye, spelt, barley (I could go on) are packed with nutrients including fiber, protein, B vitamins that are vital for our energy and minerals such as zinc and magnesium. Eating whole grains reduces your risk of type 2 diabetes, heart disease, obesity and some forms of cancer. Let’s just say that I won’t be cutting these out of my diet anytime soon!

We’ve partnered with Dempster’s to create two delicious plant-based recipes that taste amazing and are super healthy! The Dempster’s 100% Whole Grains line of bread has ‘whole grain flour’ listed as the first ingredient (ingredients are listed according to their respective weight in a product, decreasing in weight as you move down the list), which is exactly what you should look for in a bread. Not to mention it is ALSO made with NO artificial colours and flavours!

I hope these new recipes help you get a healthy kick start to your New Year!

Chickpea ‘Toona’ Sandwich

This sandwich tastes a lot like a traditional tuna sandwich but is completely plant based! If you want it to be entirely vegan, simply choose a different Dempster’s variety as this one has honey. You can pile it as high as you want with other veggies (we just suggest lettuce here), and you can easily transform it into a melt by only using 1 slice of bread per sandwich, topping with shredded cheese or vegan ‘cheese’, broiling, and adding a handful of fresh arugula or spinach on top.

Makes 2 sandwiches

Ingredients:

• 4 slices Dempster’s 100% Whole Grains Honey & Oatmeal Bread
• 6 leaves of green lettuce, washed and dried
• 1 15-oz can of chickpeas, drained
• 2 Tbsp. fresh parsley, roughly chopped
• 2 Tbsp. mayo (vegan if desired)
• juice of ½ lemon
• 2 tsp. Dijon mustard
• 1 tsp. capers
• ½ c. diced celery
• 2 scallions, roughly chopped
• 1 large (or 2 small) cloves of garlic, crushed
• sea salt to taste

Directions:

1. Place 3 leaves of lettuce on two of the slices of bread (you can spread a light amount of mayo on each slice first if you wish).
2. In a food processor combine all of the remaining ingredients and pulse until it is mixed but not smooth (you want to keep some texture in the filling).
3. Spread one-half of filling on top of the lettuce leaves and place the remaining two slices of bread on top of each prepared half.

Vegan Crispy Buffalo Tofu Wrap

We LOVE the taste of anything done buffalo style, and these wraps are sure to be a crowd pleaser! Even the carnivores in our family devoured them!

Makes 4 wraps

Ingredients:

• 4 large Dempster’s 100% Whole Grains Ancient Grains tortillas
• 1 x 350g. package extra firm tofu, cut into 8 long sticks
• 1/2 c. corn starch
• vegetable oil
• ½ tsp. sea salt
• 1 Tbsp. garlic powder
• 2 cups Panko
• Unsweetened almond milk (to dredge the tofu)
• 1 romaine lettuce heart, washed with the stem end cut off
• ¼ c. vegan Caesar salad dressing
• 2 small tomatoes, cut in quarters
• 1 avocado, sliced
• ¼ small red onion cut into slices
• hot sauce (I used Frank’s Hot Sauce)

Directions:

1. Using a paper towel or clean dish towel, pat the tofu dry.  In a large shallow bowl or pie plate, toss the tofu in a 1/4 cup of cornstarch to lightly coat. In another large shallow bowl or pie plate, combine the panko, sea salt, garlic powder and the remaining 1/4 cup of cornstarch. Dredge the tofu in unsweetened almond milk and lightly coat in the panko mixture. Set aside.
2. Toss the romaine lettuce leaves (I keep them whole as they are easier to roll) in the Caesar dressing and set aside.
3. In a medium frying pan heat ½” of oil on medium high heat. Cook the tofu on all sides (you should only have to turn it once) until it is lightly browned, about 4 minutes per side.  When done, toss the sticks in hot sauce.
4. To assemble, place your Dempster’s 100% Whole Grains Ancient Grains tortilla on a flat surface and layer two romaine lettuce leaves, two tofu ‘sticks’, ¼ of the avocado, two wedges of tomato and a couple of rings of red onion in the centre of the wrap. Tightly roll the wrap-up.  Repeat this process with the remaining three wraps and enjoy!

For more recipe ideas check out the hashtag #DeliciousStartsWithDempsters on Instagram. What are your favourite quick and easy lunch go to’s?? Let me know in the comments below!!!

xo

Jilly & Tori

Thank you Dempster’s Bakery for sponsoring this post. All comments and opinions are my own.