1600940729 text_rev.qxd 4/21/08 8:53 AM Page i PRAISE FOR VEGAN LUNCH BOX “Jennifer McCann’s cookbook makes vegan cooking accessible and fun. It’s informative but not stuffy, detailed yet concise, and the recipes are creative without being difficult. There are so many delicious, well put to- gether options here, it’s not only perfect for kids but for anyone who ever eats lunch!” —Isa Chandra Moskowitz, author of VEGANOMICON “Being a vegan kid just got a lot easier! The menus in Vegan LunchLunch BoxBox make it easy to plan a balanced and nutritious lunch for your kids (or your- self!). The variety alone makes it worth having.” —Erin Pavlina, author of RAISING VEGAN CHILDREN IN A NON-VEGAN WORLD “Destined to become a classic, this is the book vegan parents have been waiting for. And who knew? A vegan mom started a blog describing the lunches she made for her son for one school year, and it won the 2006 Bloggie Award for “Best Food Blog” (NOT “best VEGETARIAN food blog,” but “Best Food Blog,” period!). It inspired, delighted, and motivated not only vegan parents, but omnivores bored with their own lackluster lunches. This book will continue delighting with recipes that are as innovative, kid- pleasing, and healthful as they are delicious.” —Bryanna Clark Grogan, author of NONNA’S ITALIAN KITCHEN 1600940729 text_rev.qxd 4/21/08 8:53 AM Page ii This page intentionally left blank 1600940729 text_rev.qxd 4/21/08 8:53 AM Page iii Vegan Lunch Box 1600940729 text_rev.qxd 4/21/08 8:53 AM Page iv This page intentionally left blank 1600940729 text_rev.qxd 4/21/08 8:53 AM Page v Vegan Lunch Box 150 Amazing, Animal-Free Lunches Kids and Grown-Ups Will Love! Jennifer McCann A Member of the Perseus Books Group 1600940729 text_rev.qxd 4/21/08 8:53 AM Page vi Many of the designations used by manufacturers and sellers to distinguish their products are claimed as trademarks. Where those designations appear in this book and Da Capo Press was aware of a trademark claim, the designations have been printed in initial capital letters. Copyright © 2008 by Jennifer McCann All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the publisher. Printed in the United States of America. Photographs © Greg McCann Designed by Trish Wilkinson Set in 12 point Goudy by the Perseus Books Group Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data McCann, Jennifer. Vegan lunch box : 150 amazing, animal-free lunches kids and grown-ups will love! / Jennifer McCann. — 1st Da Capo Press ed. p. cm. Includes index. ISBN 978-1-60094-072-9 (alk. paper) 1. Vegan cookery. 2. Lunchbox cookery. I. Title. TX837.M463 2008 641.5'636—dc22 2008004700 First Da Capo Press edition 2008 Published by Da Capo Press A Member of the Perseus Books Group www.dacapopress.com Da Capo Press books are available at special discounts for bulk purchases in the United States by corporations, institutions, and other organizations. For more information, please contact the Special Markets Department at the Perseus Books Group, 2300 Chestnut Street, Suite 200, Philadelphia, PA 19103, or call (800) 810-4145, extension 5000, or e-mail [email protected]. 123456789 1600940729 text_rev.qxd 4/21/08 8:53 AM Page vii “Give children a healthy dose of the truth, and I believe most of them will hop, skip, and jump over to the side of the angels and never look back.” Howard Lyman, NO MORE BULL! 1600940729 text_rev.qxd 4/21/08 8:53 AM Page viii This page intentionally left blank 1600940729 text_rev.qxd 4/21/08 8:53 AM Page ix Acknowledgments THANKS... To all the visitors to the Vegan Lunch Box blog—everyone who left behind a kind word, voted for me, tested recipes, and asked me to be their mom (okay, now go clean your room). To my friends Elizabeth Schroeder, Linda Frederick, and Chelee Ellis for recipe testing; Martie Sahuc for inspiring me with her story; Joshua Ploeg for the Satya gig; Renee Pottle for your wisdom, help, and inspiration. To Dione Ruff-Sloan, Tina Stephenson, Amy Ny- lund, and Candace d’Obrenovic for their contributions. To Erik Marcus, Erin Pavlina, and Dreena Burton, for your men- toring and advice, and for all the vital work you do. To PETA for the Proggy Award and VegNews for the Veg Webby Award. Very special thanks to Diane Molleson for all her help. To my whole family: with love to my husband, Greg, for his pho- tography, advice, support, encouragement, and for putting up with me; to my mom, Susan Moore, for teaching me to cook with love, and to Ted Moore for all the asparagus; to my dad, David Andrews, for ix 1600940729 text_rev.qxd 4/21/08 8:53 AM Page x desert hikes and Adobe advice, and to Wilma Andrews for her spirit; to my aunt, Julie Adamson, for teaching me to love sushi; and to my sister-in-law Rachel Andrews, for stuffed peppers and recipe testing. and most of all, to my son, James Henry. Thanks for being such a good eater. x Acknowledgments 1600940729 text_rev.qxd 4/21/08 8:53 AM Page xi Contents Foreword by Erik Marcus xiii Introduction xvii How to Use This Book xxi Part One THE LUNCH MENUS 1 Quick and Easy 3 Start with menus that are fast, simple, and convenient. 2 Rise and Shine 17 Lunch menus for those mornings when you have more time to make it great. 3 Ready and Waiting 27 Fix these dishes the night before, and lunch will be ready and waiting in the morning. xi 1600940729 text_rev.qxd 4/21/08 8:53 AM Page xii 4 Lunch Box Adventure 41 Fun, exotic menus from around the world. 5 Special Occasions 53 Special lunches for special days, from holidays and birthdays to graduation. Part Two THE RECIPES 6 Appetizers and Snacks 65 7 Salads and Dressings 91 8 Dips, Sauces, and Spreads 105 9 Soups and Stews 113 10 Sandwiches 127 11 Mains 143 12 Veggie and Bean Sides 189 13 Breads and Muffins 207 14 Desserts 231 15 Beverages 257 Recommended Resources 261 Allergen-Free Index 265 Index 271 xii Contents 1600940729 text_rev.qxd 4/21/08 8:53 AM Page xiii Foreword by Erik Marcus No matter how good a mother’s intentions, it will often seem that the world doesn’t want children to be vegan. From birthday parties to day camp outings, being a child in America means being offered animal products dozens of times each year. And of all the hazards facing the vegan child, none compares to what happens every day during the school lunch period. School cafeterias are enemy territory to vegetarian and vegan kids. Nearly all these cafeterias serve as the dumping grounds for the commodity meat and dairy products purchased by the USDA’s price support program. What’s worse, meat industry lobbyists have suc- ceeded in shaping the National School Lunch Program’s nutritional guidelines, so that protein requirements and saturated fat allowances are kept unreasonably high. In consequence, most school cafeterias serve meals that resemble some Frankensteinian mishmash of all the worst foods McDonald’s, Taco Bell, and Long John Silver’s have to offer. Breaded nuggets and french fries, anyone? xiii 1600940729 text_rev.qxd 4/21/08 8:53 AM Page xiv This insanely unhealthy system seems destined to crumble within the next generation, but that’s little comfort to vegan mothers whose children are starting school today. It was in exactly this situation that Jennifer McCann found herself back in 2005. Her seven-year-old son, James, was starting the first grade. Soon, every afternoon, he would find himself in the school cafeteria watching his friends and classmates devour cheeseburgers, pizza, and fried chicken. What could Jennifer send her son to school with each day that would en- sure he wouldn’t feel tempted to eat like the other kids? The answer: give James a lunch that is better—much better—than anything served to his classmates. And by better, I don’t simply mean healthier—I mean better in every respect. Every school day, Jennifer cooks up a miniature four-course meal that trumps the cafeteria’s of- ferings in terms of flavor, color, texture, creativity, and especially love. She packages these meals in snazzy, Japanese-style bento lunch- boxes and also frequently relies on a Thermos for soups, sauces, and cold drinks. Every mother must worry that, by not eating like other kids, their children will be isolated and even ridiculed for their diet. But James’s lunches have made him anything but a pariah. His classmates know great-looking food when they see it, and so his lunches have made James the envy of his school. Appreciation for James’s lunches extends well beyond the walls of his cafeteria. In 2005, Jennifer started her blog at veganlunchbox .com. And with that, James has become not just the envy of his fel- low first graders but the poster boy for an international audience of thousands of kids, parents, and other lovers of great food. Each school day, Jennifer posts a photo of her latest offering, complete with write- up, cooking summary, and notes on what James ate, didn’t eat, loved, hated, or merely tolerated. Based on James’s evaluations, Jennifer awards each meal from one to five stars.