Try These 7 Easy Vegetarian Dishes For Your Lunchbox Needs

For working moms all around, preparing tiffins in the morning is perhaps the most hectic time of the day. Every morning she must hustle, there is so much prep work, cooking, packing of food and getting ready for school and office to be done. Swift and easy lunchbox recipes are what come to the rescue of busy working moms every new week, which can be prepared quickly and taste delicious: whether it is during lunch break or as an afternoon bite grabbed on-the-go at work.

The start of a new week is when the hustle begins for a busy working mom. The morning alarm goes off, and from the moment she is out of bed, mom is ‘go-go-go.’ Whether it is getting children ready for school, preparing breakfast and lunch or packing tiffins for school and office, the morning hustle is real. On such busy mornings, working moms and their partners can curate some easy vegetarian dishes that fulfill lunch box needs without turning into complicated recipes requiring too much attention. Not only are these vegetarian lunch alternatives easy to prepare but they are also nourishing and healthy, and pack lots of delicious flavours. For an on-the-go bite in the office or in the lunch tiffin spread out at school, these are recipes absolutely designed for the busy working mother.

Veggie And Paneer Stir Fry

Fuss-free, quick and low-prep, a quick stir fry can be a very nutritious option for the lunch box on mornings with a tight schedule. With high protein and fibre content and little room for tiffin spillage, the stir fry can be easily packed into the lunch box, along with a side of steamed rice. Bring together chopped spring onions, carrots, bell peppers, mushrooms and broccoli in a wok and toss them lightly in a little bit of oil. Add paneer and drizzle some sesame oil and soy sauce on top. A little bit of chopped garlic tossed before adding the veggies will release a very inviting aroma, turning a simple dish into a mouthwatering meal.

Lemon Rice With Peanuts

When there is leftover rice in the fridge or if the rice you prepared fresh has sufficiently cooled down, a straightforward and interesting recipe to prepare is the southern Indian delicacy, lemon rice. Simply, lemon rice can be made by mixing the cooked rice into a tempering of mustard seeds, curry leaves and turmeric. Season it with salt and a couple of chopped chillies. What adds the tangy, acidic nuance into the rice is fresh lime juice drizzled as a garnish. In summers, lemon rice can also be accentuated with little pieces of raw mangoes that lend an unexpected, sour crunch in between bites. Add lots of roasted peanuts to the recipe for an earthy, nutty flavour effect.

Stuffed Vegetable Paratha

With a few extra minutes on hand, the working mom can prepare a fluffy, stuffed vegetable paratha that is easy to roll out when the stuffing is not too watery. Bring together grated carrots, cabbage, crumbled paneer and any other veggies leftover in the refrigerator to prepare the stuffed paratha. Season the stuffing with ginger-garlic paste, some cumin and coriander powder, red chilli powder and a bit of amchur powder for a lipsmacking flourish. Knead a separate dough for the paratha itself and with the stuffing inside, roll perfect round parathas before roasting them on the tava. Pack the parathas in foil or parchment and fill a separate container with some mint and coriander chutney or even a tomato-cucumber raita, if time permits, to pack a sumptuous and simple lunch for a long day.

One-Pot Vegetable Khichdi

On mornings when the whole schedule is running late, a busy working mom can swiftly prepare the one-pot khichadi, that is nourishing and low-fuss all at once. Toss washed rice, dal and vegetables into a casserole, rice cooker or pressure cooker – whichever comes to hand first on such a hectic morning. Let the rice and dal cook completely until it is time to fill the lunchboxes. Top the khichadi off with a dollop of ghee and garnish it with chopped coriander while packing the tiffin, to make-up a comforting and nourishing meal for a busy day.

Chickpea And Veggie Dry Sabzi

An interesting veggie dish to prepare on a busy day when the working mom is pressed for time, this dry sabzi is no-fuss because without a gravy, it is quick to cook and easier to pack in the lunch box. When soaked and steamed chickpeas are already available in the fridge, toss them in a kadai containing warm oil with chopped onions, tomatoes and veggies such as carrots and capsicum to prepare a desi sabzi flavoured with garam masala and a dash of cumin powder. Add chopped coriander for the garnish. For more aromatic notes, introduce ginger slices into the tempering prepared for the sabzi. Ready in minutes, the sabzi can be paired with warm roti for packing the lunchbox.

Curd Rice With Tadka

On those days when lunch is meant to be light, yet one cannot do without a lunch box, curd rice is the best alternative. However, what makes this dish delicious is adding a dollop of cream and some milk to the curd and rice while mixing them together. And what brings a vibrant flourish into this desi staple is the tadka. In a small pan meant for tempering, bring together mustard seeds, curry leaves, some hing and stuffed dried chillies. Drizzle this tadka over the curd rice so its flavours and fragrances seep into the simple recipe. Quick, straightforward and delicious, curd rice with tadka can be packed into a tiffin box, ready to eat as a light, on-the-go lunch on particularly swamped days, at work or at school.