Dairy-free lunch help!

[Mommy Of A Little Angel]

I am new to the dairy-free club and lunch is killing me. I have no idea what to eat! I don't really have time or hands at this point to full out cook so convenient meals would be best. I don't really like cheese so the alternative cheeses don't really appeal to me at all. I am allergic to tree nuts so that is out to. Any ideas what I can eat? So far I have come up with peanut butter sandwiches, salads, some canned soups, and deli meat.

[ThreeofUs]

I love salads with beans, veggies (broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, etc.) and ...

STEAK.

Slice the steak up thinly into the salad and it's really yummy with any dressing. I make a mustard/mayo/olive oil dressing for it, with lots of black pepper.

[mickminmom]

I have been eating alot!!! of turkey sandwiches on wheat. They are very filling but getting a bit bored :)

Another one in my rotation is chicken,rice, and veggies with an orange sesame or teriyaki sauce to make Asian style. I cook brown rice and then freeze in smaller portions. Poach chicken breasts and shred, then pack in portion sizes. Easy to thaw and throw together..

I will be looking at this thread for more ideas!

[justlearning]

You can make lots of easy salads for sandwiches--tuna salad, egg salad, chicken salad, etc.--as well as many pasta salads.

Recently I've started making tofu salad that just uses tofu, mayo (I use soy mayo), dijon mustard, and spike seasoning and my entire family really likes it. Here's a youtube clip that gives the recipe and shows how to make it (it's the second recipe shown in this clip): www.tiny.cc/qgFV3

There are lots of other easy non-dairy lunches you could make too: burritos or fajitas without the cheese, spaghetti, rice and beans, couscous/quinoa/rice with veggies and meat, etc. I usually eat leftovers of whatever we had the night before (e.g., today it's fish over white beans with salsa).

If you really want convenience, there are lots of frozen entrees that are vegan (Amy's is a good brand to look for) and other boxed meals that you just pop in the microwave. At our Vitamin Cottage, they have some vegan meals that involve rice and a sauce (usually an Indian meal) that cook in 3 minutes in the microwave. (All vegan meals are dairy free.)

And yes, of course you can eat salads--so many ways to have variety with those. Just be sure not to have any dressings with dairy (e.g., ranch dressing). Good luck!

ETA that I make up the tofu salad with the full brick of tofu (so I multiply the rest of her ingredients by 4), and it keeps great for many days. When using tofu, I always drain it well first (put between paper towels on a plate and a heavy pan with more weight on top of it).

[happymom]

Mayo does have dairy but you can buy soy mayo--it doesn't taste the same but is fine.

Hellman's mayo is dairy-free.

[justlearning]

Hellman's mayo is dairy-free.

Whoops! Thanks for correcting me--I'll edit my earlier post. I've been trying to eat vegan lately so I got confused about the mayo issue. You're right--it's eggs that make the mayo non-vegan, not the dairy.

[wellyes]

For lunch I really like to use a contact grill to roast up some veggies & put them in a burrito shell. Easy & delicious.

[MamaKath]

Mmm, Costco sells Madras Lentils. They are in pouches, you just heat and serve, like a chili. I often add a couple cans of beans to them to stretch them and also make it more like soup. That with pita chips would be yummy!

Hummus with pita chips.

Deli meat roll ups (hummus goes well with these).

Oh and I keep meaning to try making mini-corn dogs. I use corn muffin mix, pureed carrots, wheat germ and ground flax seeds for the corn muffins. Now for mini corn dogs, you put a cocktail frank in the muffin cup and cover with muffin mix. Bake.

Oh and a favorite of mine is chunk salad. You chunk veggies like turnips, carrots, and celery. You can even add a fruit to it- mandarins, apples, strawberries or blueberries have been good. Then a light vinegarette dressing (I use a balsamic spray one). Takes lots of time to eat!

[Babymakes3]

I've been eating refried beans on tortillas with lettuce, salsa, black olives and onions but you could add whatever else you see fit for it!

I've also been eating tons of hummus! I spread it on tortillas with lunch meat, green olives and lettuce.

Rice you can do just about anything with!

I know what your going thru though, i struggled with the same thing for a while. Although i can't have dairy, egg or wheat which even further cuts my selection!

GL!

[Clarity]

Hummus, pasta, salad, egg salad with vegannaise, soup, chicken breast, fruit, they make soy yogurt and coconut milk yogurt. Be careful with the deli meat as some of it has milk ingredients and it is often sliced on the same slicer for cheese.

[TwinFoxes]

I'm not non-dairy, but I have some ideas. Boca burgers! They are surprisingly good, and you can zap them in a microwave. (you didn't mention if you have access to a microwave for lunches.) If that doesn't work, beans, rice, chicken and your favorite yummy salsa makes a good meal. Also, sandwiches spread with guacamole is a nice alternative to mayo (if it's store bought check the ingredients for dairy, but traditional guacamole does not have dairy.)

I second the steak salad idea. Or my fave, salad greens with turkey, grabanzo beans, avocado, and the veggies of your choice. Soooo good, and filling and healthy. You can also toss tart apples in there. Mmmm.

Do you like tuna? It also makes a nice salad topping.

Or go Middle Eastern, pita, veggies, hummus & falafel. Trader Joe's sells falafel mix and hummus. The falafels are easy to make. They may sell ready made ones as well.

I hope these are helpful. Good luck.

[MamaMolly]

Pasta! Lots of fun salads and dishes. Marinara, meat sauce, with spinach and sausage and garlic, yummy. (and cheap!)

Just as an FYI aside, many, many 'soy cheese' products contain casein or whey, both of which are dairy proteins and byproducts of dairy. You'd have to get a vegan 'cheese' to really be sure you are going dairy free. So it is a good thing you don't like fake cheese! :) Also read the label on deli meat, many have dairy (or whey/casein) as a filler. We get the all natural kind.

We also do salads with quinoa, couscous, tabouleh, hummus, rice, you name it. It is easy to make a BIG bowl of these and eat on it for a while.