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Recipes

How to Make a Week’s Worth of Vegetarian Lunches Using Only 10 Ingredients

This article is written by a student writer from the Spoon University at Virginia Tech chapter.

November is probably one of the most chaotic and stressful months of the fall semester. Between midterms kicking your butt and being down to your last couple meal swipes, you’re not sure you can make it to Thanksgiving in one piece. To help you power through this week, here’s a week’s worth of easy vegetarian lunch ideas. These healthy, veggie-packed recipes are the perfect start to eating like a real vegetarian. Your tummy will thank you.

Your Shopping List: Bread, rice, cheese, mushrooms, peppers, onions, tomatoes, lettuce, avocados, and hummus.

Avocado and Tomato Grilled Cheese

Difficulty:BeginnerPrep time: 1 minuteCook time: 5 minutesTotal time: 6 minutesServings:1 servings

Ingredients

Instructions

  1. Susanna Mostaghim

    Butter the sides of the bread that will go face down in the pan.

  2. Susanna Mostaghim

    Load the toppings on as well as the second slice of bread. Flip when the cheese becomes melty.

This sandwich is the Beyonce of grilled cheeses. Creamy avocado with ooey-gooey cheese makes this a toasty and delicious meal. Putting the tomatoes inside the sandwich gives the same flavor of warm tomato soup without the extra hassle. The only thing that could make this better would be if your mom made it for you.

Mushroom Stir Fry

Difficulty:BeginnerPrep time: 5 minutesCook time: 10 minutesTotal time: 15 minutesServings:1 servings

Ingredients

Instructions

  1. Susanna Mostaghim

    Put a tablespoon of oil in the pan and start cooking down the sliced onions first. Sautée for about 2 minutes.

  2. Susanna Mostaghim

    Add in the sliced mushrooms and bell peppers. Sautée until mushrooms achieve a nice brown color and the peppers are cooked, then put on top of warm rice.

The key here is to have your rice already prepared, that way all you have to do is fry up the toppings. Top with soy sauce and serve over rice and you’re all set.

Lettuce Wrap

Difficulty:BeginnerPrep time: 5 minutesCook time: minutesTotal time: 5 minutesServings:1 servings

Ingredients

Instructions

  1. lettuc wraps 2

    Take a large, flexible leaf and lay it flat.

  2. lettuc wraps 4

    Smear hummus on the lettuce first before adding other desired fillings.

  3. lettuc wraps 17

    Wrap it up taco-style and eat.

These lettuce wraps are for those times you gotta eat and have zero time.

#SpoonTip: Use the hummus on the bottom of the lettuce leaf to help keep everything from falling out while you demolish it.

Caramelized Onion and Mushroom Melt

Difficulty:BeginnerPrep time: 2 minutesCook time: 8 minutesTotal time: 10 minutesServings:1 servings

Ingredients

Instructions

  1. Susanna Mostaghim

    Sautee the onions in a tablespoon of oil for 2 minutes. Add mushrooms and cook until they are soft and a deep brown color.

  2. panini 11

    Assemble your sandwich by placing hummus, cheese, onions, mushrooms, and lettuce on toast.

You can easily take this mushroom melt to the next level with a panini press.  

Burrito Bowl

Difficulty:BeginnerPrep time: 5 minutesCook time: 5 minutesTotal time: 10 minutesServings:1 servings

Ingredients

Instructions

  1. stir fry 2

    Pile prepared rice in the bowl.

  2. Susanna Mostaghim

    Top with peppers, cheese, lettuce, avocado, onions, and tomatoes.

This recipe will give Chipotle a run for its money, but not yours. You can make this burrito bowl for about half the price. The best part? Combine your avocado, tomato, and onion for some fresh homemade guac that isn’t extra. Bless.

If you’ve ever doubted your ability to follow a vegetarian diet, this is the perfect way to get started. Using only 10 ingredients you can concoct delicious and healthy lunches that will keep you fueled and focused for whatever this semester throws at you.

Cara Monacchio

Virginia Tech '17

I am a nutrition and exercise major here at Virginia Tech.  I love hiking, drinking coffee and yoga.  An ideal Friday night for me would consist of eating an entire Domino's pizza and binge watching The Office.  All jokes aside I love all things "health."  I think food is not limited to just enhancing our physical wellness, but is something we can share and use to connect with other people on our campus and beyond.