Traveling while vegetarian takes some planning but is getting easier as more establishments recognize the diverse dietary needs of travelers and tourists. I like to prepare quick, simple, and easy meals to take with me when I’m traveling domestically and beyond. Even when I’m just going down the road, having snacks on hand for when hunger strikes helps me stay focused on my eating and living well agenda.
While I love to cook, I don’t cook as much as I should these days. I find cooking for one person to be a chore. I end up wasting a lot of food as I rarely want the same thing twice and trying to get the perfect portion size for one meal is just a struggle. The one dish that does work well for me which is now my baseline meal starter is the quick vegetable stir-fry.
The stir-fry takes five minutes or so to cook. This doesn’t include chopping and prepping the veggies (add 20 minutes) or buy frozen vegetables ready for steaming or the skillet. You can use any combination of vegetables you want. I like to use broccoli, peppers, squash, carrots, onions, green beans, and water chestnuts. However, you can add mushrooms, bok choy, eggplant, tofu, or any other vegetable you like to the mix.
I love the portability of the vegetable stir-fry as you can easily take this on the road, the plane, bus, or train. I’ll cook a pound or two of vegetables which serve well hot or cold. The key is in the seasoning. If you don’t generally love vegetables, the seasoning will help you create an experience that tastes like anything you can imagine. Spices kick my would be boring vegetables up several notches! Then, I pack these veggies in my portable travel containers and split.
I like my vegetables to have a crunch so I don’t keep them on the fire too long. You can also toss in seasoned egg noodles if you really need something to chew on.
my favorite seasonings to kick things up a notch:
Jerk
Cardamom
Greek
Ginger
Garlic & Herb
Lemon Pepper
Not in the mood for stir-fry? Make a vegan black bean soup. This stores great in a thermos. If you’re taking this on the plane, you’ll need to place in containers three ounces or less. Alternatively, you can freeze it to heat up in the sky lounge, on the plane, or your final destination. I’ve noticed most flight attendants will heat your meal if you ask.
Check out more tips on eating healthy while traveling.
