Monday, April 11, 2011

Bean Chili with Zucchini

I'm having fun with my new lunch boxes. The insulated stainless steel bowl is topped by a small plate before you put the lid on -- just the perfect size for freshly-made corn tortillas from the Mexican grocery!

I warmed the tortillas and layered them with damp paper towels, then filled the bowls with two hot servings of Bean and Vegetable Chili made with extra zucchini and sprinkled with fresh cilantro.

I brought this lunch to my girlfriend who was reading palms at the psychic fair and we ate our little picnic together. We got lots of ooh and aahs at the cuteness of our lunch boxes and how yummy our healthy lunches looked!

38 comments:

Anonymous said...

OK, where did you get those containers? !!

Jessie said...

yes, please let us know where you got the containers!

Anonymous said...

looks yummy! i'd like to know where u got the containers too!

Jess said...

what a great blog! i'm excited to try some of your recipes. i like the idea of switching lunch and dinner. have a good day!

Marcia said...

I am going to ask a dumb question. But...how do you heat stainless steel? Those are darned cute!

The Preppy Vegan said...

This is genius...I usually pack my tortillas in a Ziploc bag, where they get smushed or bent within an inch of their life. Not cool. This seems much more streamlined!

Anonymous said...

Thank you for sharing!

I am trying to change my life around, wanting to refrain from eating all meats.

I'm glad I found your magnificent blog!

Anonymous said...

HI Jennifer! I'm just now reading your blog for the first time and LOVING IT!! Thanks for doing what you do- can't wait for your next post!

PS: The Austrailian cauliflower soup a few posts back has already made it to my grocery list. Looks GREAT! Thanks for sharing!

Susan T. said...

I have similar tiffin-like lunch containers but have only used them 2-3 times. Thanks for the inspiration! -- Your fans over at Little Ladies.

Crosby Kenyon said...

Not vegan yet, but we'll see. It's becoming more and more tempting with all the great stuff out there.

High Power Rocketry said...

Nice, the blog is still active!

Janna Renee said...

who doesn't love chili? lookin' good!

Dani said...

Looks delicious! Zucchini is one of my favorite foods these days, I never even thought of putting it in chili before :)

Evan said...

I've been thinking about making some chili lately - looks like I'll be trying this out!

Vegetarian Diet

Madeline Morgan said...

Absolutely love your blog! Super cute and creative! Will definetly keep on reading!

Hope to see y'all at my blog, Kitchen Doll, sometime!

kitchendoll.blogspot.com

Stop by and Come on in!

xxMsVeganxx said...

This is awesome. I want that lunch box

Anonymous said...

Such adorable lunch boxes! :)

Susan said...

I enjoy your book but I don't understand the recipe on p. 194 for Cheesy Roasted Chickpeas. It calls for "nutritional yeast flakes" and I wonder, are they the same as regular yeast or something different? I've tried an online search about this and haven't found any answers. Can you please explain this?

Jennifershmoo said...

No, nutritional yeast flakes are not the same as regular active yeast for making bread. I describe them elsewhere in the book -- sorry, I'm at work and don't have a copy here to give you a page number, but if you do a google search for "what is nutritional yeast flakes" you'll find lots of information, including a Wikipedia entry. I find them at my local health food store and in the bulk bins in the health food section at my grocery store, but you can also order them online from numerous vendors. Red Star is a good brand. I recommend hunting them down -- they have a wonderful flavor!

Mandi said...

Sounds delicious, can't wait to try it! I am trying to find new vegan dishes all the time! Love it! I just started a new blog that talks about vegan stuff along with many other things. Please check it out- http://eclecticteen.blogspot.com/ :)

Suburban Snow White said...

I love those containers! My Dad used to live in India in the 60s and gave me his old container he bought from there. (They stack on each other.) Love it!

I just discovered your site and, boy, it's going to be helpful in my new vegan life in planning meals. I'm trying to mix it up a little for my husband and me!

Thanks for sharing all these great ideas!

~Katrina
http://suburbansnowwhite.blogspot.com

Raederle said...

Vegan Lunch Box is a contender in the Veghealth Awards.

Congratulations, your blog, Vegan Lunch Box, is a contender for best healthy blog in the 1st annual Veghealth Awards.

Hi, I'm Raederle Phoenix, and I'm with The Vegetarian Health Institute. I'm writing you to tell you what it means to be a contender in the Veghealth Awards.

As a contender, you'll get exposure to 37,000+ people on our email list.

The first round of voting ends on July 31st. At that point, we'll narrow it down to four nominees per category. If you make it to the second round, you'll get a handsome "2011 Nominee" medallion you can show off on your website.

You can influence the voting by telling your subscribers / followers that you're a contender, and sending them to veghealth.com/awards. Please let us know if you plan to do that.

Here is voting ballot: http://www.veghealth.com/awards/

Here are some things you may want to tell friends, family, customers, subscribers, post on facebook, twitter, etc:

There are bonuses for voting!

Voters will get a 10-day course on veg health secrets.

Voters will be entered to win $247 worth of online education from The Vegetarian Health Institute. Five voters will win this prize!

Also, we'd like to give you two free e-books on being vital and healthy. You may pass these on in your newsletter or to your contact list:

“How Vegans Get Calcium, Iron, Protein, A, B12 & D”: www.veghealth.com/vegan2.php
“14 Ways To Supercharge Your Health With Whole Foods”: www.veghealth.com/supercharge/

Thanks, and once again, congratulations.

~ Raederle Phoenix
The Vegetarian Health Institute
http://www.veghealth.com/

Raederle's Raw Vegan Blog
http://reallyrawraederle.blogspot.com

Anonymous said...

Hey lady! Missing your posts!

Emanuelle said...

Mmmm This recipe looks delicious! I love warm comfort food meals turned vegan. I thnk I might make this tonight! Thanks for the recipe!
-Emanuelle
www.emanuellefrancesca.com

Pro Team said...

That looks amazing! Great idea and can't wait to try the chili.

Carpet Cleaning Roseville CA

king 9k5 said...

It's good to be back

Kerri said...

Jennifer, my family and I are very new to veganism. We started over a month ago. these recipes are awesome and inviting. I will follow you as we can use all the help we can get. I love these lunch boxes! Thanks for sharing!

Cheers, Kerri

http://gardnersgoingvegan.blogspot.com/

pixiewillow said...

"Although I know it would be better if we always ate exclusively for our health, I don't think every vegan out there really cares about health first and foremost. Veganism for many is a path of compassion, rather than a "diet" or something they do for their bodies. And I'm glad of that, because everyone knows diets are meant to be broken! Thank goodness there are supremely decadent, ultra-rich vegan goodies -- like fudgy brownies! -- out there to enjoy, so we can continue to be kind to the animals, even when we're not being kind to our waistlines."

Do you still think so? Because I do.

legend_018 said...

ok so if these lunch boxes hold hot foods well, what if you bring your bean chili wiht zucchini with the tortilla's in them, but you also want to bring some cold snacks or a salad to go with it? Than do you carry 2 lunch boxes to work and which ones do bring? Thanks

Jennifershmoo said...

Yes, I would pack cold food in a separate lunch box in a separate insulated bag. I have lots and lots of lunchbox containers to choose from, but I most often use my To Go Ware stainless steel tiffin; you can break it down to one level if you're packing it as a side container.

Sheri said...

Hi Jennifer,
Hope you are doing well! Our website has been streamlined and our site is now at www.iLoveObento.com. (So sorry, I tried your email, but, no-go)
Thanks,
Sheri

Melissa said...

Hi Jennifer
I am new to your blog and I love it.

I am starting up a blog on education through cooking with children and want to do a section on vegan/vegan raw.

I recently purchased your cookbook, Vegan Lunchbox Around the World and would like to promote some of your recipe ideas (and your cookbook) on my blog (of course giving you and your cookbook full credit for any postings). I wanted to gain your permission before doing so and see what your restrictions were on posting from your cookbook.

I also wanted to see if you would be interested in doing a guest blog post on my blog about your cookbook and your mission.

I would have emailed but didn't see a contact email:)
Sincerely
Melissa,
mpitzer35@gmail.com

VTasheva said...

very cool. i love your vegan recipes.
here is my lego lunch box http://legolunchbox.tumblr.com/

kaos127 said...

My daughter and I have been going through Vegan Lunchbox--she's been doing a new menu every week and enjoying all the variety. Sometimes I have to send extra in for her friends! Pictures and commentary available on my blog--if you are interested--http://kaosreigns.wordpress.com/

Thank you for the great ideas!

Kelly

Fergus W. Clare said...

Hello,

Your recipes are fantastic! Can't wait to try these containers out and some of the recipes I've missed. I have been wondering lately however about the real ecological impact of a vegan diet. With the rampant take off of organic farming practices and grass fed beef, I think a valid argument can be made that eating grass fed beef is good for the environment. What do you think? Check out my blog at www.AnthroHemian.Blogspot.com with the posting Egalitarian or Vegetarian. I look forward to trying out more of your recipes.

Thanks!

Xiao Kang said...

looks yummy! Love your posting! I bought your vegan lunch box book too.
http://www.veglov.com/

Meg said...

This looks like something I would like! very nice recipes you have here.

Unknown said...

What cute boxes, will be looking for those!