12 Vegan Sandwiches to Pack for Lunch

These easy vegan sandwiches are just as good as any made with meat or cheese. Perfect for lunch, they're all fresh, healthy, and delicious.

If you eat a mostly plant-based diet, there’s a good chance you’ve had some sad vegan sandwiches. I know I have! Soggy lettuce. Soggy bread. Zero flavor. Yeah…no thanks. But luckily for us, vegan sandwiches don’t have to be like that. Sure, they aren’t made with meat or cheese, but that doesn’t mean they have to skimp on flavor. Try making vegan sandwiches with different sauces and spreads, roasted or pickled veggies, and/or fresh herbs, and you’ll find that they’re just as tasty as their traditional counterparts. To get you started, I’m sharing 12 of my favorite vegan sandwich ideas…

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60 Healthy Meal Prep Ideas

Busy week? These meal prep ideas are here to help! With tips and recipes for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, they make eating healthy, delicious meals easy.

Is anyone else trying to get in a new meal prep routine this fall? Jack and I took some time off last week for an end-of-summer trip to Michigan. It was so fun and relaxing, but when we got back, I realized just how busy the next few months are going to be. Thankfully, I have a full arsenal of healthy meal prep ideas to help us get through it. 🙂 In case you’re also having a busy fall, I’m sharing over 60 of my healthy meal prep ideas today. They include meal prep recipes for breakfast, lunch, and dinner,…

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Healthy Lunch Wraps

These healthy wraps are a perfect packed lunch! Flavorful and satisfying, they're stuffed with greens, avocado, and a honey-Dijon chickpea salad.

When it comes to lunch, I usually gravitate towards salads or bowls, but when I have the ingredients to these healthy lunch wraps on hand, I’m 100% on team sandwich. They’re fresh and satisfying, filled with a crisp kale salad, creamy avocado, and hearty chickpeas. But the secret ingredient that makes them so flavorful is the dressing. It’s a sharp, savory honey-Dijon vinaigrette that I whizz together in the blender so that it’s creamy and emulsified. When I assemble these sandwich wraps, I mash some of the dressing with the chickpeas, toss some with the veggies, and serve the rest…

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Summer Fruit Platter

Learn how to make a gorgeous fruit platter for your next party or gathering! Piled with fresh fruit, cheese, olives, and nuts, this fruit tray is always a hit.

How pretty is this fresh fruit platter?! It’s a colorful combination of fruits, cheeses, spreads, and snacks that I’ve been absolutely loving lately. I’m sharing it today because it would be a fantastic last-minute appetizer for a Labor Day party or cookout, but honestly, it’s a great easy dinner idea, too. On warm nights when I’m not in the mood to cook, I slice up some fresh fruit, grab a handful of herbs from the porch, and pile them onto a fruit and cheese platter like this one. Jack and I savor the sweet, juicy fruit with the rich, salty…

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28 Easy Summer Appetizers

These easy summer appetizers will be a hit at your next cookout or BBQ! They include creative crudité platters, delicious dips, and more.

When I sat down to write this summer appetizers post, I glanced over at the calendar I have hanging on my wall. September already? How did that happen?! We might be nearing the end of the season, but I hope you still have a BBQ, cookout, or casual get-together left in store. In my book, at least, there’s not much that beats catching up with family or friends on a warm afternoon or evening. And if it just so happens that there’s a plate of summer appetizers nearby, well, that’s even better. These easy summer appetizers include crudité platters, dips,…

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BLT Pasta Salad

This BLT pasta salad recipe is a fun twist on the classic sandwich. Packed with fresh veggies and avocado, it's a flavorful side dish or light lunch.

BLT pasta salad! Ok, more like TAT pasta salad, but this recipe has some serious BLT flavors going on, so we’re sticking with that. As you might have guessed, there’s no actual bacon here, just my trusty tempeh bacon plus sun-dried tomatoes for an extra savory kick. This BLT pasta salad recipe would be a great dish to pass at a Labor Day gathering this weekend, but it’s also hearty enough to be a vegetarian main dish. Pack it up for a weekday lunch, or serve it for a light dinner. Whichever way you pick, I think you’re going to love…

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Summer Fruit Tart

This no-bake fruit tart recipe is a delicious summer dessert! It's made with a creamy filling, fresh peaches and berries, and an easy graham cracker crust.

This fruit tart recipe could not be more delicious. Seriously! I’m in love with the creamy, tangy filling, the sweet and salty crust, and the jumble of fresh fruit on top. I tested it a number of times this summer to get the recipe just right, and each time, I looked forward to eating it. Its mix of juicy, creamy, crunchy, salty, tart, and sweet elements is just too good to beat. Another great thing about this fruit tart recipe is that it doesn’t require any baking. I love a good peach cobbler or peach crisp, but when it’s hot…

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Summer Grain Salad

This easy grain salad recipe is the ideal make-ahead lunch! Loaded up with grilled corn, fresh herbs, and pickled onions, it's hearty, flavorful, and fresh.

This post is in partnership with Jewel-Osco®. Has anyone else been super busy lately? Between writing and recipe testing, working on projects around the house, and squeezing in fun summer activities, I feel like we’ve barely had a minute to rest, let alone do chores and errands like going to the grocery store. Don’t get me wrong – it’s a good problem to have. I love being busy with work and getting outside to enjoy the warm weather. But when something comes along that makes humdrum, everyday tasks a little more convenient, I’m pretty darn happy about it. Lately, the…

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Air Fryer Eggplant

Coated in a panko and Parmesan crust, this air fryer eggplant is crispy on the outside, tender in the middle, and packed with rich, nutty flavor.

If you like eggplant Parmesan, then you’ll be crazy for this air fryer eggplant recipe! I coat eggplant slices in a mixture of panko bread crumbs, almond flour, and Parmesan cheese and then air fry them to golden brown perfection. The slices are crispy on the outside, silky smooth in the middle, and filled with rich, nutty flavor. I’m always a fan of eggplant recipes, but without a doubt, this air fryer eggplant is one of my new favorites. Air Fryer Eggplant Recipe Ingredients You only need a handful of ingredients to make this air fryer eggplant recipe: Eggplant, of…

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Fresh Tomato Sauce

Learn how to make tomato sauce at home! Made with fresh tomatoes, this simple, flavorful recipe is perfect for serving on pasta, pizza, and more.

For me, making this homemade tomato sauce recipe is one of the highlights of late summer. Like bruschetta or a good Caprese salad, it’s something I only make at this time of year, when fresh tomatoes are sweet, juicy, and abundant. This tomato sauce has a slightly looser, chunkier texture than my traditional marinara sauce, and its flavor is sweeter and fresher. If you have a garden full of tomatoes, it’s a great way to use them up, but even if you don’t, I hope you’ll try it. You can toss it with pasta or zucchini noodles, spread it on…

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Blistered Shishito Peppers

Looking for a fun summer appetizer or snack? Make these blistered shishito peppers! Tender, charred, and topped with sesame oil, they're always a hit.

I love the simplicity of this blistered shishito peppers recipe. It relies on just 3 main ingredients – shishito peppers, salt, and sesame oil – but it’s still flavorful, satisfying, and totally addictive. You might think you’re going to eat one pepper, maybe two, but before you know it, you’ll have devoured half the pan! Um…yes, I’m speaking from experience. If you’re not familiar with shishito peppers, they’re small, thin-walled peppers that are traditionally used in Japanese and Korean cooking. These days, you can often find them at farmers markets in the US and at major grocery stores like Whole Foods…

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A food blog with fresh, zesty recipes.
Photograph of Jeanine Donofrio and Jack Mathews in their kitchen

Hello, we're Jeanine and Jack.

We love to eat, travel, cook, and eat some more! We create & photograph vegetarian recipes from our home in Chicago, while our shiba pups eat the kale stems that fall on the kitchen floor.