Preparing vegetarian meals is expected for January, back-to-school season, or any other organization-related time of year.

Meal preparation is how I consistently make and eat homemade food in all seasons.

I’ve had my ups and downs with cooking, but thanks to meal preparation, I’ve kept going even when I’m not motivated. Meal preparation is such an essential part of my daily life that I’ve written an entire cookbook just for it!

However, no matter how frequently I prepare, I love any cyclical or seasonal reason to re-energize and get motivated.

The start of a New Year is a good reason. That’s why today I’m excited to share these fun and nutritious cucumber pickle and chickpea lunch boxes with you.

Find love for a homemade lunch.

I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: Lunch is a tricky meal for many of us.

Most clients say lunch is the most complicated meal to stick to. Many of them dread the meal.

Some of my clients are busy professionals who want to continue for lunch. Some people are happy to eat but prefer to continue and plan or think about what to eat.

As a result, lunch is often skipped in favor of take-away snacks.

But there is a price to pay for not stopping for lunch. The main drawback is nutritional: you are deprived of the energy and nutrients (protein, micronutrients) that a solid lunch can provide.

There are other drawbacks. Skipping any meal, especially lunch, can cause you to graze throughout the day, eat past your comfortable hour at dinnertime, or constantly think about sweets before bed.

In all cases, the body compensates for nutrients not provided before.

That’s why lunch is essential, despite the inconvenience of a lunch break.

If lunch is a priority, it should be delicious.

A simple solution to having a pleasant lunch during the week without making too much effort in the middle of the day is to rely on vegetarian lunches prepared at the weekend or the beginning of the week.

Preparing lunch for M-F is a great way to reduce decision fatigue, feel organized, and ensure time for lunch no matter how busy life gets.

The diversity of chickpea salad

Once upon a time, hummus with mayonnaise was a novelty.

These salads, which are reminiscent of traditional tuna or chicken salads, are popular among some vegetarians but have yet to become widespread.

Nowadays, I often see chickpea “tuna” recipes in cookbooks or online, as well as in sandwich shops and restaurants.

How wonderful! Chickpeas are a nutritious protein, folate, iron, and dietary fiber source.

Their creamy texture makes them versatile and suitable for various recipes, including today’s chickpea lunch boxes.

I’ve made many “classic” versions of chickpea sand pull that are based on the tuna and chicken salad I bought from the deli as a kid.

Over time, however, I’ve also come to appreciate different flavors of chickpea sand pull, such as curry powder, harissa, or sun-dried tomatoes.

I’ve also tried making chopped white bean salads, including my chopped white bean salad with garlic Tahini.

So far, one of my favorite chickpea salads is my pickled chickpea salad with crushed bits.

Chopped chickpea salad with kimchi

Pickled grated chickpea salad is the main ingredient in today’s chickpea lunch box. Spicy and creamy, it’s also a source of plant-based protein in recipes.

Making a salad is simple: you mash the chickpeas in a mixing bowl (I like to use a handheld potato masher) and add the following:

• Vegetarian kimchi (light or spicy, depending on your preference)
• Vegan mayonnaise (store-bought or my homemade cashew vegan mayonnaise)
• Rice vinegar
• Sriracha or chili crisp

Almost instantly, you’ll have a delicious mixture that you can eat on toast, wrap up, serve over hot rice, or serve in one of these pre-made chickpea lunch boxes.

How to prepare a cucumber and pickle chickpea lunch box

Of course, chickpea salad isn’t the only ingredient here. The lunch box includes vegetables, a cold cucumber salad, and cookies.

Here’s how all the pieces fit together.

Step 1 (ahead): Pickle the cucumbers

Spicy cucumbers marinated in chili oil, sesame oil, garlic, vinegar, and soy sauce add freshness and crunch to a chickpea lunch box.

First, you’re going to pickle the sliced cucumber.

Next, you’ll pour off any water from the cucumbers during their soaking, pat them dry, and transfer them to a storage container with an airtight lid.

Stir the marinade well, then pour it over the cucumber slices. Put them in the fridge to marinate for 2-4 hours.

Step 2: Make pickles and cucumber mud pull

Next, you’ll prepare a pickled cucumber salad. This article provides all the details, and the process is straightforward.

Step 3: Assemble the bowl or lunch box

At this point, you will have two choices. You can pile all the ingredients – pickle hummus salad, pickles, some vegetables, and crackers – in a bowl or plate.

You can also put some lunch boxes together if you like.

I like to add some fresh, crunchy greens to the hummus salad. Then, I add a quarter of the spicy cucumber and rice cakes to the other ingredients.

Step 4: Enjoy or store

The assembled lunch box will be kept in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to two days.

Suppose you want to store it for longer, up to four days. In that case, I recommend separating the ingredients – in other words, don’t pile the chickpea salad on top of the leafy greens. This will help keep the greens crispy.

For meals, I like to scoop some hummus on top of the crackers and then top with spicy cold cucumbers!

Component note

Here are some of the ingredients in a chickpea lunch box:

Cookies

You can use any cookie you like. I’m a big fan of using seeded cookies like Mary’s Gone crackers, Crunchmasters, or plain or black sesame cookies. Regular rice crackers are also good.

Flaxseed biscuits like Ella’s Flats or Flackers are exciting additions.

Instead of cookies, you can use pretzel chips, pita bread, toast, or shortbread.

chickpea

No chickpeas at home? No problem. White beans, such as navy beans, pasta beans, or Great Northern beans, will also work well.

green

My favorite greens for a bowl are cress and tatsoi. However, both methods are hard to find, so if not, there are other options.

I like to use dark or crunchy greens, which keep well and don’t get wet.

I have tried and liked all of the following:

Brittle leaf

Baby spinach

Baby kale

Thinly sliced kale green ribbon

Chopped lettuce

Thinly sliced Tuscan kale strips or chopped curly kale

You can even use chopped, steamed green vegetables such as broccoli, green beans, snow peas, or jelly beans.

capsicum

Many spicy, crisp brands are themselves vegan and are labeled as such. My favorite right now is Fly By Jing’s Sichuan chili. Momofuku’s spicy shortbread is also delicious.

If you don’t have chili crunch and it’s not easy to get, I’ve provided an alternative on the recipe card.

Which box lunch do you recommend?

As someone who often writes about vegetarian preparation, this is one of the most common questions I get!

Here are some commonly used containers:

Mepal lunch box for two

Medium bento box

Pyrex 3.4 quart bento box and 2.1 quart bento box

W&P Potter Bowl

Lunch robot 3-in-1 container

Hide the snack bags and sandwich bags

Finally, choose the option that best fits your space capacity (storage containers can be bulky and take up much space) and your budget – the more feature-packed, the better.

The ones I use most are my Pyrex bento box (for bento like this) and my W&P Porter bowl (for big salads or big bowls).

More vegan meal preparation inspiration

If you’re hoping to make more vegetarian preparations this year and you want more information than I’ve shared today, here are some other posts that might help:

A beginner’s guide to vegetarian preparation

Vegetarian prep breakfast ideas

Vegetarian meal prep lunch ideas

Vegetarian-prepared dinner ideas

In addition, certain foods work well to prepare for lunch:

Quinoa beet bowl

Prepare teriyaki tofu noodle bowls before meals

Grilled cabbage with tofu

Chickpea burrito bowl

Lemon pepper, tempeh, vegetable pasta bowl

Rice and bean feather roll

Hearty vegetarian mushrooms, beans, and peppers

Creamy coconut curry with green lentils

Pumpkin salad with kale on a baking sheet

Lentil tahini roll

You can add this colorful, crunchy, spicy, creamy chickpea lunch box.

Ingredients

1 medium or 3 mini seedless cucumbers, sliced crosswise into 1/4-inch / 6mm slices (if using a regular-size seedless cucumber with a wider diameter, you can cut it in half lengthwise before cutting it crosswise)

salt

One tablespoon of rice vinegar

2 teaspoons soy sauce or tamari

1 TSP toasted sesame oil

1/2 teaspoon cane sugar or coconut sugar

2 teaspoons garlic, minced or grated

2-3 TSP vegetarian chili crisp (replace with 1 TSP chili oil + a small amount of red pepper flakes + a few toasted sesame seeds)

4 cups loosely packed greens such as watercress, tatsoi, kale, crisp leaves, or spinach

1 lot chopped chickpea salad with kimchi

Serves 4 (about 40-50 cookies) black sesame seeds, sesame rice, white rice, or seeded cookies

Instructions

1. Place the cucumber slices in a bowl and sprinkle generously with salt. Let the slices sit for 10 minutes. Cucumbers release water. Empty the water in the bowl. Then, pat the cucumber slices dry with tea or paper towels. Transfer the cucumber to an airtight container with a lid.
2. Whisk together the vinegar, soy sauce, sesame oil, sugar, garlic, and chili flakes until the sugar dissolves. Pour this mixture over the cucumbers. Cover the container and shake gently to distribute the sauce evenly. Pickle cucumbers for 2-4 hours.
3. To prepare the lunch bowl/box lunch, divide the vegetables into four separate storage containers or bowls. Place a quarter of a chickpea salad on top of each pile of vegetables (or, if your lunch box has four compartments, store the vegetables and chickpea salad separately). Add a quarter of a spicy cucumber and rice crackers to each lunch box or bowl. Store for 48 hours in the refrigerator, cover, or serve immediately.

Today, I was chatting with a friend about the ups and downs of returning to everyday life after a hiatus, such as travel, holidays, life transitions, or illness.

Suddenly, everyday life seemed strange.

A pleasant routine can make a big difference in those moments of readjustment. These delicious vegetarian lunch boxes help you feel supported in the New Year.