Fast lunch for Friday without meat

Stick to tradition and don’t eat meat on Fridays, but have no idea what to cook? You don’t have to complicate anything. Prepare a quick meatless Friday lunch within half an hour. This is an ideal way to give other plant-based sources of protein , such as legumes and whole grains, a chance .

We consume too many animal products, especially meat, and on the other hand we eat too little plant foods rich in fiber , antioxidants and other important nutrients. 

It is additionally unhealthy if we constantly eat fried or breaded meat, as well as meat products such as hot dogs, sausages and pate. That’s why a light lunch on Fridays that does not include meat can be an opportunity to take in neglected but nutritionally rich foods.

A quick lunch for a meatless Friday

When it comes to a quick lunch without meat, the recipes  can be varied. Below we bring you six of them.

Quinoa and chickpea salad meal

The fastest way to prepare lunch is a salad meal. Add legumes as desired and whole grains, vegetables, homemade dressing and enjoy a delicious, filling and healthy meal . 

Ingredients:

• half a cup of quinoa
• 1 cup canned chickpeas (rinsed and drained)
• 10 pieces of cherry tomatoes (halved)
• half a cucumber (diced)
• half a red pepper (diced)
• half a red onion (chopped)
• a few lettuce leaves (cut into strips)
• 1 teaspoon of freshly chopped parsley .

Ingredients for dressing:

• 1 soup spoon of olive oil
• 1 tablespoon of lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon of honey
• 1 clove of garlic (chopped)
• black pepper
• salt .

Preparation

1. Cook the quinoa according to the instructions.
2. Mix vegetables and chickpeas in a bowl .
3. Mix the dressing ingredients in a separate bowl .
4. Add quinoa to the vegetables , combine the ingredients .
5. Pour over the dressing, mix, season and sprinkle with parsley.

Tofu with gnocchi and vegetables

Who says you can’t fit gnocchi into a meatless meal? If you have never tried tofu , a food rich in protein, try it in combination with gnocchi and vegetables.

Ingredients:

• 200 g of gnocchi
• 100 g of tofu
• 1 carrot (cut into rings)
• 1 red pepper (diced)
• 1 red onion (chopped)
• 2 cloves of garlic (chopped)
• 1 soup spoon of olive oil
• 1 cup of peel
• black pepper
• salt
• oregano
• basil .

Preparation

1. Cook the gnocchi according to the instructions.
2. Heat the olive oil in a pan and sauté the onion and garlic until they become glassy.
3. Add the vegetables and simmer, then add the tofu and simmer for another minute.
4. Add the pelatas and spices and let it simmer for about 15 minutes.
5. At the end , add the gnocchi and mix.

Polenta with lentils

Polenta is another food that is less and less often found on the menus of people who live a fast-paced life, and it is prepared really quickly . In this recipe, polenta is a source of carbohydrates , and lentils will be a source of protein.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup polenta
• 1 can of lentils (drained and rinsed)
• 1 red onion (chopped)
• 1 clove of garlic (chopped)
• half a zucchini (cut into cubes)
• 2 tomatoes (chopped)
• 2 cups of baby spinach
• 1 soup spoon of olive oil
• half a teaspoon of turmeric
• black pepper
• salt .

Preparation

1. Cook the polenta according to the instructions and set aside.
2. Sauté onion and garlic in heated olive oil for a few minutes, then add carrots and zucchini and sauté for about five minutes.
3. Add the chopped tomato and simmer for another minute until the tomato is reduced.
4. Then add the lentils, spices and spinach , mix and simmer until the spinach wilts.
5. Put the polenta on a plate, and put the lentils on top.

Tuna fritters from the oven

A delicious lunch ready within half an hour that you will love includes tuna fritters from the oven without frying in oil . Add vegetables and cut slices of rye bread. 

Ingredients:

• 2 cans of tuna from brine (drained)
• 1 carrot (grated)
• 1 zucchini (grated)
• 1 red onion (finely chopped)
• 2 cloves of garlic (chopped)
• 2 eggs
• 1/4 cup of spelled flour
• 1 bag of baking powder
• olive oil
• black pepper
• salt .

Preparation

1. Heat the oven to 200 °C and prepare a baking tray. Add the baking paper and lightly coat it with olive oil.
2. In a bowl , mix drained tuna, grated zucchini and carrot, onion and garlic .
3. In another bowl , beat two eggs , then add flour, baking powder, salt and pepper and combine the ingredients.
4. Combine these two mixtures, form fritters and place them on a baking tray.
5. Bake them in the oven for about 15-20 minutes.
6. Serve with a slice of rye bread and, if desired, with a salad of your choice.

Broccoli and rice

The next recipe comes in the well-known combination of broccoli and rice, but with chickpeas and fine spices. There is also a sauce that will take this dish to a higher level. 

Ingredients:

• 1 head of broccoli (cut into florets)
• 1 can of chickpeas (rinsed and drained)
• 1 cup of rice
• 1 onion (chopped)
• 2 cloves of garlic (chopped)
• 1/3 cup of vegetable stock
• 1 teaspoon of paprika
• a pinch of cayenne pepper
• 1 tablespoon of fresh ginger (chopped)
• 1 soup spoon of olive oil
• 1 teaspoon of onion powder
• black pepper
• salt .

Ingredients for the sauce:

• half a cup of water
• 3 teaspoons of soy sauce
• 2 teaspoons of balsamic vinegar
• 2 teaspoons of maple syrup
• 1 teaspoon of cornstarch .

Preparation

1. Cook the rice according to the instructions.
2. Sauté onion, garlic, ginger and all spices in heated oil .
3. After a few minutes, add the vegetable stock and broccoli and simmer for about 10 minutes until the broccoli is soft.
4. While the broccoli is stewing, mix all the ingredients for the sauce in a bowl .
5. Add the chickpeas and sauce to the broccoli and leave to simmer for another five minutes.
6. Place broccoli and chickpeas over the rice.

Cheap lunch without meat

When we talk about cheap and nutritionally rich foods, then it pays to buy large packages of dry grains and legumes , seeds and nuts.

Also, pasta is not an expensive food when we look at the number of servings we can get.

Ingredients:

• 80 g of pasta
• 1 soup spoon of chopped walnuts
• 1 soup spoon of olive oil
• 1 cup of baby spinach
• a few cherry tomatoes
• 1 red onion (chopped)
• 1 clove of garlic (chopped)
• 1 ball of mozzarella
• black pepper
• salt .

Preparation

1. Cook the pasta according to the instructions and set aside.
2. Sauté the onion and garlic in heated olive oil .
3. Then add the spinach and, as soon as it wilts, add the chopped walnuts .
4. Stir in the pasta, pepper and salt.
5. Slice the mozzarella and mix it into the pasta and serve.